Trividian Conundrum
by Spydurwebb
Summary: The Doctor's past is catching up with him, or maybe it's his future...the Seventh Doctor encounters two old companions, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Together they get embroiled in a Civil War with long lasting repercussions.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

General Lacond surveyed the valley of Kithra below. Sickening pools of red stained large sections of green pastures and softly rolling hillsides. A few clouds floated aimlessly by, dropping occasional raindrops, as if the planet Trivid itself mourned its dead. A smoky haze of fierce struggles and death hung in the air. The bodies of soldiers who had died valiantly serving their general littered the ground. Lacond sighed, shaking her head. 'They should have lived. They all should have survived.'

Lacond bore the heavy burden of leadership with dignity. Her position was one she felt unworthy to have been given, considering her relative youth. The additional physical weight of her cybernetic limbs only seemed to enhance the slight lines just beginning to show in her face. She leaned against her cane, a constant reminder of a never healing wound, a parting gift from one of her first battles with Mijaco Kendra.

Slowly Lacond worked her way down from the outcropping and began to walk amongst the destruction. Kithra had been a paradise once; the one place on Trivid where families spent countless afternoons together, and young lovers came at dawn to watch the dual suns rise. There was actually a time when Lacond enjoyed coming here. No longer. From this point forward, she would always see the explosions as pieces of military equipment instantly turned to useless rubble, always hear the death rattles of soldiers as they breathed their last.

Sadly, in the midst of all this destruction, this had been a battle where she was declared victorious.

Lacond shifted some rubble with her cane. She looked at the disabled personal transport weapons her troops insisted on calling Navipods. They hovered in the air, low to the ground, only large enough to hold one navigator. To Lacond, they always looked like overgrown medicinal capsules covered in mirrors.

'Don't move, General Lacond,' a voice called out from behind. 'I'm placing you under arrest in the name of the Quadrant Leader.'

Lacond turned just enough to catch a glimpse of her would be captor, TeArin Kendra, the youngest son of her strongest enemy, Mijaco Kendra. TeArin's presence sadly reminded her even children were not immune from the terrors of war. 'Where is your father, TeArin? I know he participated in the earlier battle. Was he injured and I just have not heard about it yet?' She remembered holding TeArin when he was a child, back when times on Trivid were peaceful and she and Mijaco were close friends.

TeArin glared disdainfully at his target. 'You are a nuisance to my father and not worthy to face him in battle. He has grown tired of your tediousness, so I am here to take care of the problem. Now, turn and face me or I will be forced to kill you where you stand.'

Lacond unsheathed the blade she kept hidden in her cane, making sure TeArin didn't detect the movement. She knew surprise would be the only element in her favour as she heard TeArin prime his energy weapon. 'Then you will have to kill me,' she replied.

'You have been warned. Today will go down in the history of our planet as a glorious victory for both the Chosen and the Quadrant! Your death will signal the end of the war. Trivid will once again be a haven of peace.'

'Do you really think killing one soldier will end this war? Soldiers have come and gone for years, yet we still fight. Maybe we should learn to work together for the good of Trivid, instead of tearing it apart.' Lacond said with conviction.

TeArin hesitated. 'What are you saying? Do you wish to change your allegiance?'

Lacond looked over her shoulder at the young man. 'How old are you, TeArin?'

'87.' He kept his weapon trained on Lacond, although Lacond could see it begin to waver slightly.

Lacond closed her eyes briefly and sighed, weighing her decision. She knew if he was able, TeArin would kill her, but at the same time, she could not shake the images of the little boy she had watched grow to manhood, and the friendship she once had with TeArin's family. 'I'm 326, TeArin. I watched you grow up. Your father was my mentor. If Mijaco and I have not killed each other, you cannot do it. Fortunately for him, I think you're too young to die.' In one quick motion, she whirled around and sliced through the air with her cane blade, completely severing TeArin's gun hand.

TeArin screamed, grabbing at the bloody wrist. 'You will die this day!' he gasped. He reached down and pried the energy weapon from the disembodied hand lying on the ground. The blood on his remaining hand caused the weapon to slip from his grasp, but not before he was able to fire a shot.

Hearing the weapon buzz, Lacond moved quickly. She avoided a direct hit, but the energy beam still connected with her side. She felt the burn as it penetrated her armour and instinctively knew the injury was serious by the gush of blood. She chose to ignore it, instead wresting the gun from TeArin.

TeArin met not the cold eyes of a killer, but Lacond's compassionate expression. Her breathing became more laboured as the pain increased, but it didn't stop her from saying, 'Neither one of us will die today. Go back to your mother, TeArin. Do not attempt to join your father in battle again until you are old enough to deal with the consequences.'

Lacond could almost see the wheels in TeArin's mind turning. He was still alive. He could not believe Lacond took the hit from his energy weapon and was still standing, giving him orders. She watched his eyes lose focus, then refocus and knew his own loss of blood must be weakening him. The only option she had left him was to retreat.

Lacond leaned heavily against her cane as TeArin scuttled back across the valley. Once she was sure he was out of sight, she collapsed from pain, her wound bleeding profusely.

~!~!~!~

The cathedral-like room was almost completely dark, except for the eerie glow of a view screen. A royally clad figure hovered over the view screen as the confrontation between Lacond and TeArin unfolded. The figure watched as Lacond collapsed, then turned to a servant standing by the door. 'This will never do. Tell General Mijaco that I wish to see him.'

The servant bowed. 'As you command, Leader Likaria.'

~!~!~!~

At dusk, the wind whistled through the trees in the cemetery, the dampness of the day wrapping everything in a thick, grey fog. A slender, petite young woman with wavy brown hair stepped forward out from under a nearby tree and ran her hand tenderly across one of the headstones. 'Happy birthday, Mother,' she whispered. She didn't see a second shadow standing just out of sight.

Susan softly and reverently read the simple inscription. 'Elizabeth Sullivan, wife, mother, friend.' She sighed deeply and slowly. As a throat cleared behind her, Susan jumped.

Harry Sullivan came up and put his hands on Susan's shoulders, 'I'm sorry, sweetheart. Didn't mean to startle you.'

Susan turned around and looked at her father. Gone was the seemingly unflappable, stiff upper lip, sometimes distant, military man, and in his place was the forever old-fashioned, soft, caring man standing before her. 'That's okay, Dad. I was a bit lost in thought.'

'How long have you been out here?' Harry asked, concerned about his daughter.

Susan shrugged, 'I don't know. I lost track of time.'

Harry reached up and touched Susan's face. 'You're freezing. Here.' He shrugged out of his trench coat and wrapped it around Susan's shoulders.

Susan looked up at him and smiled. 'So, when did you get home from your trip?'

'Just got back. Thought I'd drop by here for a moment.' Harry looked sadly at the tombstone. 'I'll never forget her, you know. She was amazing, so understanding, given all life threw at her.'

Susan looked from the tombstone to her father and back again, then sighed. 'I wish I remembered her.'

Harry nodded. 'Me too, Sue. Your upbringing was never what could be termed traditional.'

Susan laughed slightly. 'You could say that again. If you had to go out of town, I'd stay with Sarah. You guys used to take turns taking me on holiday to the strangest places. Nope, definitely not traditional, but you two did the best job you could. I'd like to think I turned out okay.'

Harry wrapped Susan in a warm hug. 'You turned out great! Thank you, Sue, it really means a lot.' He looked down once more at the headstone before turning back to his daughter. 'Why don't I give you a ride back to Sarah's so you can pick up your stuff and we can go home?' Then another thought struck him. 'When is Sarah leaving on her vacation? Is her 'friend' going with her?'

Susan looked over at her father, and couldn't help noticing the slight twinge he got whenever he talked about Sarah's dating life. Jealousy perhaps? She dismissed that as unlikely at best. 'Well, that's the thing. They were going to leave this weekend but he had to cancel, something about some documentary type programme he was producing. Sarah wasn't very forthcoming on the details; I think she's pretty much given him the boot. The thing I've noticed the most about Sarah, no one is ever good enough for her. It's like she's waiting for something, but I can't put my finger on what it is. Right now though, she's on deadline for some story she's working on. She probably doesn't even know what time of day it is.'

~!~!~!~

Taketo and Mirsaj, two of Lacond's closest companions, struggled to pull Lacond's heavy body towards a concealed cave that could serve as a convenient hiding place. After every few yards, they stopped and surveyed the area to make sure they weren't being watched or followed. 'Why do we have to keep her hidden? There's got to be a medic at camp able to help us with this. We should just use her Navipod and take her back to camp,' Mirsaj insisted.

'What? And have the whole faction go into a panic because she's been injured? I don't think so. As for the Navipod, she's not conscious, how is she supposed to control her Pod?' Taketo contradicted.

'Those new limbs of hers do it for her.'

Taketo shook her head at the young man's innocence, 'Mirsaj, Navipod technology is designed to run on electrochemical stimuli. Lacond's unit is even more advanced. The impulses from her brain are simply enhanced by the cybernetic limbs. She still has to be aware of what she's doing.'

The two friends began to relax only after they had pulled Lacond into one of the secluded caves at the edge of the valley. Taketo pulled a small mechanical device out of a leather satchel slung over her shoulder. She placed the device on Lacond's stomach and moved Lacond's hands to cover it. 'I can't turn it on for you, Lacond,' she said aloud. 'You'll have to do that yourself.'

Lacond's eyes fluttered open. 'Where?' was all she was able to get out before Taketo's features swam into view. She could feel the device in her hands. She struggled for a moment before gaining enough strength to twist the knob and turn on the device. It emitted a high-pitched squeal and a surge of energy left Lacond's body and went into the device. The look of pain on her face finally eased. 'Thank you,' she said softly before drifting off to sleep.

Mirsaj jumped as the device squealed. After Lacond relaxed, Mirsaj looked at Taketo. 'What is that thing?'

Taketo shrugged. 'I'm not sure. It was some sort of device the Doctor gave her. He said it would help eliminate all the bad energy from her body. I'm hoping it'll make her sleep long enough for me to get that wound sealed up. Once she's strong enough, we'll get her back to camp. If she's gone much longer, the troops will start to get worried.'

Taketo started to peel Lacond's armour away from her side. She could see the blood oozing out of the deep wound. She turned to Mirsaj. 'This is going to take some time. Go to camp; get together several runners and grab the Navipods left at the battle site. Bring back anything else that seems useful. Weapons, ammunition, anything. We're going to need everything we can get our hands on.'

Mirsaj started to head out, then turned around to face Taketo. 'If your and Lacond's precious Doctor were here, he'd be able to help us win this war. Then we wouldn't have to face the prospect of serving the Quadrant.'

Taketo stared at the young man in front of her. 'Mirsaj, if the Doctor had gotten what he wanted the last time he was here, he would have taken Lacond with him. Then she wouldn't be here and we would already be serving the Quadrant. Now, you have your orders.'

Mirsaj bowed, turned and left without another word. Taketo looked back at the sleeping form of Lacond and sighed softly. 'I was supposed to be watching out for you.' Standing up, she walked across to the cave entrance and picked up a small silver case. She took the case over to a rock near where Lacond was lying, opening it to reveal several bandages and a small compass-like device.

Taketo took a cloth and began to clean the blood from Lacond's wound. Lacond opened her eyes and sat bolt upright. 'Enough, Taketo.'

Taketo jumped back at Lacond's sudden movement. 'You shouldn't be awake yet. Your body hasn't had time to recover.'

'No matter,' Lacond said simply. 'I don't have time to lie around.'

'Lacond, what about your injury?'

'It will heal. I have to find a way to get a message to the Doctor. My soldiers are slaughtered in every battle. I must find some sort of resolution to this. He remembers what life on Trivid was like. There are very few of us left from the original families, and yet it was the legacy of the Doctor that inspired my father to organize our resistance. He might have the answer, or at least some guidance as to which direction we should take. I'm running out of ideas, and we're running out of Cyryllium; I need fresh input.'

Taketo smiled. 'I thought you might feel that way.' She held up the compass-like device. 'The Doctor gave this to me. He was afraid that something like this might happen. He said it would take you somewhere safe until you could get help the help you needed.'

Lacond stared at Taketo. 'I will not leave Trivid. I won't desert my troops or my friends.'

Taketo stood up so she could stare down at Lacond. 'It's suicide if you stay. As we were coming to look for you, one of our messengers informed us that TeArin is missing. He was last seen heading in your direction. Mijaco's camp already suspects you of killing him. If it is true, killing you will now be the Quadrant and Mijaco's number one priority. Where would the resistance stand without your guiding influence?'

'I did not kill the boy. That would not make the situation any better. Mijaco was my teacher, the man I trained under. I could not kill his son in cold blood.' Lacond seized her cane and pulled herself up to full stature, towering over Taketo by more than six inches. 'If I leave Trivid, Taketo, what then? Mijaco and his troops will still come after you full force. Anyone who aligns with me makes an enemy out of Mijaco. This battalion took a brutal beating this time. We might not last much longer.'

'Then go, get the help we require,' Taketo insisted. 'You only want the Doctor's opinion on this? I think maybe the Doctor himself should come here and get his hands a little dirty, then he'll know what we're up against. You know how long we've been fighting this war. There's no end in sight.'

Lacond hobbled the length of the cave and back before exhausting herself and slumping against the nearby cave wall, her head hanging heavily. 'You're right, of course.' She noticed the blood again running down her side, and gingerly touched the tender wound. Wincing, she reached her other hand out for the device still cradled in Taketo's hand. 'Give me the device. You have full authority until I return.'

'Lacond, what about your wound?'

Lacond used her cane to lift up one of the cloths from the cave floor, then wiped her bloody hand on it. She absently tossed the cloth to the ground and painfully resealed the armour around the wound. She pulled herself back to her full height and began to limp towards the mouth of the cave. Each step inflicted more pain, making her use her cane to support even more of her weight. 'Right now, that's the least of my worries.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor looked around the cluttered console room. His cream-coloured fedora seemed to float on top of the time rotor, and his ever present brolly with the red question mark handle hung next to his paisley scarf on a hat stand situated by the door. In a recent change to this secondary room with its darker, more wooden atmosphere, he had unearthed several pieces of machinery and various other space junk that had accumulated over the years. There was a red overstuffed chair in one corner, and the Doctor pondered settling down with a relaxing book and cup of tea. As he headed towards the inner door, one of the pieces of machinery rolled across the room and attached itself to the console.

'Morning, Doctor,' it said in a voice that exactly matched the Doctor's own Scottish lilt.

The Doctor turned and looked at the machinery. 'Who are you?'

'What am I would probably be a more accurate question, Doctor.'

The Doctor waited for a moment, before realizing the machine wasn't going to answer him unless he changed the phrasing of his question. 'All right. What are you, and how do you know who I am?'

'You need a holiday, Doctor,' the machine replied, but didn't answer either of his questions.

The Doctor was fascinated, yet annoyed in the same moment. 'So you've attached yourself to the voice memory circuits of my TARDIS. Clever. Now, would you please tell me what you want?'

'Tut, tut, Doctor. Don't you remember? You asked me to come here. You requested more information about the different holiday packages we offered. I'm from _Galactic Traveller's Quarterly_. Let me tell you, we had an absolute bugger of a time tracking you down, what with your giving only "TARDIS in space" as an address.'

The Doctor nodded. 'Space junk mail. Figures.'

'I beg to differ, Doctor. I am not junk mail. I was a request. Now, if you will let me get on with my job, I'll tell you about our holiday packages.'

'Great, junk mail with an attitude,' the Doctor mumbled. Realizing this might take a while; he sank into the overstuffed chair.

'Don't think I didn't hear that,' the junk mail replied. 'Now, as I was saying, Doctor, you need a holiday. How would you like to go to Metebelis Three?'

'No,' the Doctor replied quickly.

'Ah, well what about Florana?'

'No.'

'Relaxation Station?'

The Doctor grimaced. 'No, definitely not.'

The junk mail tried again. 'How about Mesedri Prime?'

'Never heard of it.'

'That's why we're advertising,' the junk mail replied snottily. 'Now, if I may continue?' The Doctor simply nodded. 'Let our blue breezes blow away your sorrows. Let our pink oceans wash away your cares. Take day trips to the outer planets and meet some of the most colourful life in the universe. Be it alone or in a group, our eager staff will cater to your every whim.' Then in a softer, faster voice, it added, 'Mendi Enterprises is a family owned and operated business serving the planet of Mesedri Prime for fifteen...'

The room suddenly exploded with flashes of bright light and blaring warning sirens. The Doctor jumped out of his seat, kicking the junk mail and sending it clattering across the room in the process, and ran over to the console. He frantically scanned over several gauges and dials before finding the right button to press. As the noises and flashes started to subside, he stared at the slowing time rotor and uttered one word. 'Lacond.'

~!~!~!~

Lacond held the Doctor's device tightly as she watched the air shimmer around her and the surroundings begin to change. As the ground solidified underneath her, she realized she was no longer on Trivid. The air smelled cleaner, with no traces of the stench of a long, drawn-out war. She even thought she heard birds singing. It had been years since she remembered hearing any birds on Trivid.

She took in her surroundings, then suddenly felt very dizzy. She reached out with her cane, but was startled when it didn't touch the ground. She vaguely remembered seeing two people in the distance as everything went dark and her body went limp.

~!~!~!~

The Doctor circled the console, taking readings, recalibrating instruments, the junk mail now forgotten. 'She should have come here,' he muttered aloud. He had left a molecular transmitter on Trivid during his last visit there. In theory, the transmitter was powered by the TARDIS itself and should have deposited anyone using it right in the heart of the TARDIS. Apparently it hadn't worked quite as the Doctor had anticipated. 'Where, oh where…'

The Doctor took a couple more readings from one of the supposed controls of the transmitter. The whole of the TARDIS shifted and the Doctor was thrown across the room. As he pulled himself up off the floor, the Doctor shook his head. 'Wrong, wrong, wrong,' he fussed, rolling his r's in frustration more with each repetition of the word.

The sirens began to wail again as a second fluctuation shook through the TARDIS. 'She's moved again.' The Doctor shook his head and stared at the dial in front of him. 'Earth? That can't be right. Why Earth?' He walked around the console and entered the coordinates that last came up on the transmitter reading. 'Where she stops, nobody knows.'

~!~!~!~

Harry stared out the window, watching it rain. There were many times over the years when he'd watched the rain, but this was different. So many things had happened so quickly. For a start, this wasn't even his house. Sometimes this didn't even feel like his life.

Things had been going so smoothly until the previous day. 'She knows, Harry.' Sarah's words echoed in his mind. Harry frowned. A sixteen-year-old secret now exposed to the one he'd tried so desperately to protect. To Harry, it seemed as if someone had planted dynamite in the middle of his life and detonated it.

So he sat by the window at Sarah's house and watched it rain. All while he waited for the Doctor to arrive.

'I am detecting Artron particles, Master Sullivan,' K9 intoned as he rolled into the room.

Harry still wasn't sure how to take Sarah's vaguely dog-shaped robotic computer. 'Er, good dog.'

Harry sighed audibly as the groaning, wheezing sound of the TARDIS materialising in Sarah's living room echoed around him. Unfortunately, he watched it materialise on her Persian rug. Harry only shook his head. 'Sarah's not going to like that, eh, K9?'

'Negative, Master Sullivan.'

The door opened quickly, but instead of the expected tall Doctor with curly, brown hair and broad grin, a smallish man with short, wavy brown hair emerged. He crossed over to Harry quickly and with a smile, shook his hand. 'Harry Sullivan, how very good to see you after all this time.' He looked down at the robot dog. 'And K9, what are you doing here?' He leaned in towards Harry and whispered. 'Harry, this isn't your house.'

When Harry finally found his voice, it was clipped, barely polite. 'No, it isn't. It's Sarah's house. Where have you been, Doctor? Dear Lord, anything could have happened to them by now!'

'Harry, I've never seen you so upset before.'

Harry glared at the shorter man. 'Of course I'm upset! You've never misplaced my daughter before! And just so you know, Sarah's going to be pretty ticked when she finds out you've parked the TARDIS on her Persian rug!'


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Mijaco stopped just as he crossed inside the doorway of the ornate, cathedral-like room. He cautiously took in his surroundings and tried not to appear awe-struck. The room was enormous, compared with his humble abode. The high ceiling was covered with an elaborate painting that seemed to predict the Quadrant's glorious soon-to-be-victory over the rebels. Hanging from the ceiling were at least a dozen chandeliers made from the finest hand-blown glass from Bendari Prime. The unusually soft light given off by the chandeliers gave the room an uncomfortably eerie glow. Corresponding with each of the chandeliers was a pillar set into the wall covered with the most intricate woodwork Mijaco had ever seen. In between each pillar, large, intricate, hand-woven tapestries covered entire sections of the walls. He had been told of the splendour of the Quadrant Leader's headquarters, but until now had only corresponded with her via messenger and had never been summoned to appear in person. He wondered whether any other Trividian had ever set foot in this room, given the sacred feeling it emanated.

There was only one occupant in the room, sitting on a raised throne. Mijaco knew the setting was precisely constructed to give the Leader an even larger sense of power over her subjects. Mijaco's throat went dry as the Leader, clothed in royal purple robes, stood up as he entered. She gestured for him to approach.

Mijaco swallowed, crossed hurriedly towards the throne and knelt. 'Leader Likaria, you sent for me?'

'I did. That was an interesting battle today, Mijaco.' Likaria glided down the three stairs that separated her throne from the main part of the room. As she made her way towards Mijaco, he glanced up and noticed how determined each step seemed, how with each forward motion, the Leader's gown and cape flowed regally around her. She took his hand, pulling him to his feet, then began to walk slowly around him as if inspecting the room for anything out of the ordinary, making sure to keep her back to him. 'Explain to me what happened on the battlefield.'

Mijaco refused to look directly at her, although he didn't ever let her get out of his peripheral vision. 'The resistance took heavy losses, my Leader, as did our own forces. Unfortunately, we were the ones forced to retreat.'

Likaria suddenly stopped walking. 'Is Lacond too smart for you?' she asked bluntly.

An astonished expression clouded Mijaco's, but he quickly buried it before Likaria could notice. How dare she doubt my abilities, he thought. 'No, my Leader. Lacond had the benefit of strategic positioning. No one knows the Kithra Valley like she does. Even the Mechguard unit felt the need to retreat.'

Likaria quickly reasserted her power over Mijaco by turning towards him and glaring. Harshly, she responded, 'The Quadrant tells you when to attack and when to retreat. You were not given the order to retreat!' Likaria reached out and grabbed Mijaco's chin with one hand and forced him to look her in the eyes, her own face nearing his. 'Your own cowardice led you. I expect you to keep the rebel forces at bay; that is why you were picked to lead the Chosen's army. Have you grown weak in your old age? Do I need to find another to take your place?' She released him roughly and turned her back to him once again.

He stuttered. 'N… no, no, my Leader. I can handle the situation.'

'Then I have another matter that requires your attention.' Likaria walked across the room, away from Mijaco. When he didn't follow her, she raised her hand and gestured slightly, as one would an errant puppy. 'Mijaco, come. I want to show you something.'

Likaria led him to a small, glowing view screen on the far side of the room. Her voice became soft, more like an equal than a superior. 'I observed this after your battle today.'

As Likaria replayed the confrontation between TeArin and Lacond, Mijaco could only watch his enemy disfigure his son. He turned away in shame as the screen showed TeArin's retreat. Almost under his breath, he mumbled. 'When TeArin told me he was searching for Lacond, I did not think he could find her.'

Likaria turned from the view screen and glared at Mijaco, her voice becoming harsh once again. 'Then you knew of this? You should have watched your son more carefully. Lacond could have easily killed him. More importantly, his attack of her was unauthorised. The Quadrant is not pleased, and the Electorate Body is demanding compensation.'

Mijaco's blood instantly ran cold. He knew that to the Electorate Body, compensation meant death, usually in the most painful way possible. Or even worse, it could mean being sentenced to Mechguard conversion. A million possibilities for TeArin's future played out in his head all at once, each one worse than the one before. Outwardly, he played the fool. 'Compensation, my Leader?'

Likaria smiled kindly. If Mijaco hadn't known Likaria's smile almost guaranteed a death sentence for his son, he might have thought she was being sincere. 'I have spoken with the Electorate Body on your son's behalf. Instead of the usual compensation, your son will only be banished from the Chosen.'

Mijaco knew that without the protection of the other members of the Chosen, TeArin would be at the mercy of both the rebels and the Mechguards. He tried to plead on his son's behalf. 'My Leader, it will be very dangerous for him out in the wilderness. Is there not some other solution that would please the Electorate Body without leading to TeArin's certain death at the hands of the rebels?'

Likaria shook her head slowly, showing her displeasure at his insistence. 'It is not wise to argue, Mijaco. Outward defiance of our orders is instantly punishable by death. Lacond did not kill him when she had the opportunity today, so I hardly think your argument is viable. The Quadrant took your service to us into consideration and we are being most merciful, under the circumstances. We are allowing your son to live.'

He had to risk one more argument. His hands were clammy, his own fate soon to be uncertain because of his insubordination. 'It seems to me, my Leader, that the Quadrant is becoming sympathetic to the rebels. Wouldn't the Quadrant be pleased with Lacond's death?'

If Likaria's blood was boiling, she didn't show it outwardly. Curtly, she said, 'You have overstepped your bounds, Mijaco. The Quadrant thought of your son and the harm he could come to at the hands of Lacond. She is not someone to be taken lightly. TeArin's impetuousness is also dangerous to our goals. He must learn discipline. You of all people should know that.' Lacond returned to her throne. 'Now, go and take care of your final business with your son. Be glad that he is not going to be taken for processing.'

Mijaco leaned forward, not quite bowing. He had pushed the limit and he had failed. 'Yes, my Leader. Thank you, my Leader. You have been most merciful.' He left quickly, without another word.

Once he was outside the main chamber, he leaned against the wall and inhaled deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. He had taken a dangerous risk by facing up to Likaria. Fortunately, it did not cost him his life.

~!~!~!~

Harry was baffled by the little man standing in front of him and sank into the chair by the window. He'd been sitting and waiting for too long and now that the Doctor had arrived, it was time to do something. Unfortunately, the Doctor wasn't as eager as Harry thought he should be. 'Let's go, Doctor. We need to get to this Trivid place and get my Sue back before something happens to her.'

The Doctor folded his hands and leaned against his question mark handled brolly. 'Harry, rash actions lead to bad decisions. So, I think you'd better take a moment and explain the situation to me. What's going on here?'

Harry stood up and began his deep breathing exercises, trying to calm his ever-rising blood pressure.

'You're anxious about something, Harry.' The Doctor looked at him thoughtfully. 'Tea, that always seems to work.'

'Huh?' He regarded the Doctor with an incredulous look. 'Tea for what?'

'To calm down, clear the mind a little bit, bring things into focus.'

'Right. OK.' Harry walked quickly into the kitchen with the Doctor following.

The Doctor sat in one of the kitchen chairs as Harry absently walked over and plugged in the tea kettle. As he grabbed mugs out of the cabinet, then went to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk, dutifully pouring the appropriate amount into each mug, the Doctor only watched him move about. After a moment he spoke. 'So, Harry, what is this all about? I didn't even realise you had a daughter, much less that she was, uh, misplaced as you say.'

Harry stopped and smiled as he thought about his daughter. 'Her name's Susan. She's sixteen and stubborn, just like her mother.' He dropped back into quiet reflection as he put the tea in the teapot, then followed suit with the now hot water.

'Harry, how does Susan's misplacement tie in with us sitting in Sarah Jane's kitchen?'

Harry shook his head as he poured the now brewed tea into the mugs. 'Doctor, that really doesn't matter. What matters is that we shouldn't be here wasting time by making tea. We need to go pop into the TARDIS and bring them back.'

'Them?'

'Yes. Sarah's gone too. She took off after Susan.'

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. 'And Sarah left from here, which is why you and I are here?'

'Well, something like that, yes. This Lacond person said she was here looking for you. She had some type of supposedly broken transmitter thingummy that K9 helped her fix, then she and Susan just up and disappeared. Sarah called me, I rushed over and she used the same device to follow them.'

The Doctor frowned. 'Harry, there's got to be more to it. You're raising more questions than answers. Lacond couldn't just show up on Sarah's doorstep, something had to have triggered her arrival here. Why would your daughter just leave with her? Did Lacond kidnap her? And why would Sarah go after them instead of waiting, like you did? Just how do you and Susan fit into this? You say this is Sarah's house, so how do you know exactly where she keeps everything for making tea?'

Harry silently looked at the Doctor, then walked across the room and sat down at the table. 'Sarah is…' He stopped and looked down, collecting his thoughts, his eyes instinctively going to the bare third finger of his left hand. Thirteen years ago, his wedding band would have been there. 'Sarah is Susan's godmother. My wife, Elizabeth, died when Sue was three. Sarah's been helping me take care of Susan ever since.'

The Doctor regarded Harry in silence for a moment. 'I'm glad you and Sarah remained friends. I sometimes wondered, the way you two argued.'

For the first time, Harry's gaze met the Doctor's. 'We're best friends, Doctor.'

~!~!~!~

Mijaco needed time to think. He thought best when he walked around and could clear his mind. He instinctively went to what was left of Trivid's capitol city, Katran. What were once buildings of commerce and government were now empty ruins. Buildings that should have stood forever as a testament to their creators were now in danger of crashing around those that were forced to take shelter in their remains. This was all that was left of the once great Trividian civilization. Deep down, he blamed the Quadrant, although as the head of the Quadrant's supposedly Chosen people, he couldn't afford to voice that opinion to anyone.

He journeyed on towards the camp where he and the members of the Chosen lived and observed the sparse surroundings. It disgusted him that the Chosen had been forced to live as mere peasants with the rest of the citizens being treated as slaves, working in the Cyryllium mines. The Chosen's living quarters were badly battered excuses for tents as the collapsing cities housed the mineworkers and suffered from neglect. All of this was supposedly for the good of the Quadrant and the whole of Trivid. As he entered his family's tent, Mijaco wondered whether he had picked the right side of the battle. He was once a respected member of the community, all before the Quadrant came to power. Now, only the members of the Chosen respected him. The other surviving citizens merely tolerated his presence, or worse. He knew that at least half of the remaining citizens despised him for collaborating with the enemy and would join the rebels, if the Quadrant's threats against their families hadn't paralysed them with fear.

Still, he was their leader, the one they were supposed to respect and look up to. His authority was an extension of the Quadrant's. He swallowed hard. At times like these, he hated what the Quadrant made him do. He had to find a way to not let his true feelings slip. He thought about the friendship with Lacond he was forced to sever when she organised the rebellion. Now she was his greatest enemy. The Quadrant was essentially killing his son, and he was just supposed to sit back and accept it. Deep down, he knew if he didn't, things could be much worse than they already were. As his son entered the tent, he tried his best to remove all emotions from his face, especially the shock at seeing the stumped appendage that used to be his son's hand.

TeArin crossed to stand before him, head reverently bowed. 'Father, you wished to see me.'

Mijaco glared at the young man. 'I'm most disappointed in you, TeArin.' He reached down, deeply burying his concern, and grabbed TeArin's handless arm, which was now wrapped in a tight bandage. He turned his worry into harsh words. 'You let her do this to you, and what did you get in return? Nothing. Lacond is not dead, not even seriously wounded according to your accounts.' Mijaco dropped TeArin's arm and watched it dangle at TeArin's side.

TeArin winced as pain shot through his arm. 'I did wound her, Father. Her side was bleeding from the energy rifle's bolt.'

Mijaco unconsciously copied Likaria's movements from their earlier confrontation. He walked around and looked at everything other than his son, keeping his back to TeArin. 'Lacond didn't falter, didn't collapse. What kind of warrior did you intend to be? You are a grave disappointment, both to me and to the Quadrant.' As he finished talking, he was at TeArin's back. He turned around and looked at TeArin, waiting for his response.

TeArin didn't face Mijaco, but continued to look only at the ground, his father's words stinging more than the destroyed nerves at the end of his arm. 'I'll be better next time, I promise. I can be better, Father.'

Fatherly emotion overcame Mijaco and he took TeArin by the shoulders and turned him around to face him, his words gentle, but firm. 'There won't be a next time, TeArin. The Quadrant was not happy with your actions. They wanted to have you processed, but I was able to talk them out of it. Instead, you will only be banished.'

TeArin looked up at his father, insulted by the Quadrant's harsh treatment. 'Banished? Why should I be banished? The Quadrant always says they want this war to end. They want Lacond's head. I've heard a messenger from Likaria herself say those very words. I tracked Lacond down and confronted her. I would have killed her, but instead, I was only able to wound her. So why am I the one being punished?'

Mijaco walked over to the door of the tent and nervously peered out. 'TeArin, keep your voice down!' Satisfied that no one had overheard his young son's outburst, he crossed back towards TeArin and sat down in one of the chairs at the makeshift table. He gestured for TeArin to sit as well, but TeArin only shook his head in refusal, so Mijaco continued, his words soft. 'It was not the will of the Quadrant that Lacond be confronted in that manner. They have a plan for Lacond's defeat. If we do not obey that plan, we could fail! The Quadrant will not tolerate failure.'

TeArin exploded. 'Whose side are they on? You'd sometimes think they supported the rebels instead of the Chosen. The Quadrant supposedly picks our battles for us so we'll win, but this time we didn't. I try to rid us of Lacond and what does it get me? The Quadrant gets all in a state and I'm banished! There is no logic in their actions, Father.'

'Do not second guess the Quadrant!' Mijaco hissed as he slammed his fist against the table, cracking it. 'It is by their grace that any of us live at all. They could very easily call you down for processing. You'd be no different than any of the other Mechguards; no conscience, no free will. Is that the kind of life you desire for yourself?

Mijaco's words sunk in to TeArin and he calmed considerably. Almost repentantly, he whispered, 'No, Father. Any life is preferable to that of a Mechguard.'

'You should be thankful that you are a member of the Chosen.'

'I'm no longer a member of the Chosen if I'm being banished,' TeArin said hotly. 'You will all be sorry that you did not let me stay. I could become the greatest warrior the Quadrant has ever seen. There has to be another way.'

Mijaco closed his eyes and fought back the tears that were starting to come to the surface. He wished his son were right. He stood up to face TeArin, reached out and gently squeezed his son's shoulder. 'There is no other solution, my son, I'm sorry. Consider yourself privileged; you will not become a Mechguard. I will leave you in peace to get your things together. Be gone by sundown.' Mijaco started to walk out, then turned around and offered one last piece of advice. 'Speak to no one on your way out of the compound; you don't want to draw attention to yourself. Your life expectancy might dramatically decrease if just one person is not as loyal to the Quadrant as they should be.

TeArin nodded, knowing he should feel lucky to still be alive, whether or not he believed it. 'Yes, Father. As you wish.' TeArin watched as Mijaco left the tent, then swore. He slammed his good hand against the table, splintering the weakened wood. 'Lacond will pay for this. For all of it! I will be her downfall. Likaria can bet all her power on it! Then I will take on the Quadrant and they will pay!'

From her throne room, Likaria watched TeArin's outburst and growled. 'Don't tempt me boy. I will make you pay.' She called out to her servant, 'Get Mechguard Unit Seven leader in here right now! I have a task for him.'

'As you wish, Leader Likaria.' The servant bowed and scampered quickly out of the room.

~!~!~!~

Harry looked down at the mug of tea in his hands while he recounted his first meeting with Lacond. 'I was just coming back into town from a business trip. It was Elizabeth's birthday and I always try to go by the cemetery on her birthday. Susan was there. She always goes too, even though she really doesn't remember Elizabeth. Anyway, we were getting ready to head back to Sarah's so Sue could pick up her stuff before Sarah left on her trip. Not that she was going on her trip, her friend cancelled. But anyway…'

The Doctor cut him off. 'Harry, that's all well and good, but where does Lacond come into this?'

'Oh, right. Let me try to explain.' Harry focused himself and began to give the Doctor more useful details. 'It all started when Susan and I headed out of the cemetery...'

_As they left the cemetery, an oddly dressed woman stepped from behind a nearby tree. She was leaning heavily on a cane and only glanced at Harry and Susan before collapsing. 'I say,' Harry said as both he and Susan rushed to her side._

_Harry immediately noticed blood profusely oozing through the woman's clothing. 'Sue, run and get my medical kit out of the car boot,' Harry said urgently._

_'Right.' Susan replied as she started running for the car._

_Harry quickly looked the woman over for any other injuries. It was hard to tell from the metal plated long sleeved vest and trousers she wore, but Harry couldn't see anything obviously broken. He would judge her age to be between 30 and 35, going by the slight lines that were just starting to form on her forehead and around her eyes, although he couldn't be sure, because of the cane clutched in her hand. 'Appearances can be deceiving,' he reminded himself._

_Susan came back with her father's med kit and watched as he put on a pair of protective gloves and started pulling out a bandage to dress the wound. 'It looks like she's wearing armour.'_

_'Looks that way. We should get her back to the house where I can take a proper look at this wound.'_

_'Why not a hospital? They can give her the best care. And how did she just show up out of nowhere like that? People can't really do that, can they?'_

_Harry noticed the woman beginning to move. Susan continued to fire questions at him. 'Susan, hush.'_

_Susan fell silent as the woman stirred, opening her piercing grey eyes. 'I am Lacond. I'm here to find the Doctor,' she said weakly, before lapsing back into unconsciousness._

_Harry reached down and instinctively took Lacond's pulse. Recognizing the pattern, he frowned, then looked up at Susan. 'Sue, help me get her back to the car. Then I want you to call Sarah on the mobile, tell her we're on our way there and what's happened.'_

_Susan helped Harry carry Lacond back to the car. Neither one of them could get over how heavy she was for someone so small. 'Dad,' Susan started, 'I'm not sure what is happening.'_

_'Just tell her how we found this woman in the cemetery and that she is asking for the Doctor. Sarah will understand.'_

_As they carefully settled Lacond into the back seat, Lacond roused again. 'Where are we going?' she asked weakly. 'I have to find the Doctor.'_

_Harry patted her hand reassuringly. 'I know. I am a doctor, and I'm going to take you to where I can get a better look at that wound of yours.'_

_'You're not THE Doctor.' Lacond started._

_Before she could object to anything else, Harry interrupted. 'So I've been told, frequently. Don't worry, I know the Doctor. We'll find a way to contact him, I promise.'_

_Harry and Susan got into the car and quickly drove off. After Susan called Sarah, she looked over at her father, then towards the back seat at Lacond. 'Who is this Doctor person?'_

_Smiling, Harry replied. 'He's a friend of Sarah's and mine. He's the one that gave K9 to Sarah.'_

_'Smart guy, then? Will he know what's wrong with,' she paused. 'What did she say her name was?'_

_'Lay-something or other. I can probably take care of her physical injury, but as for why she needs the Doctor, we won't know until she's in better shape to tell us.'_

_'Dad, do you think it's smart taking her back to Sarah's? Are you sure we shouldn't take her to hospital or something? Maybe have Sarah just meet us there?'_

_Harry shook his head. 'No, we'll need K9's help to contact the Doctor.'_

Back in Sarah's kitchen, the Doctor looked at Harry as he finished speaking. 'So Lacond just materialised in this cemetery?' Harry only nodded in reply. 'I left the transmitter on Trivid with Taketo many years ago. Lacond was only supposed to use it in a dire emergency. It was supposed to transport her directly to the TARDIS. I wanted her to be safe if she ever needed it.' The Doctor stood up and began to do his own pacing.

Harry looked up at the Doctor. 'Going by how badly she was wounded, I'd say she needed to be somewhere safe.'

'Last time I was on Trivid, it was a peaceful paradise.'

'Sounds like things have drastically changed from that paradise you remember. But you probably knew it would change, otherwise why leave the transmitter?'

The Doctor shot a glare at Harry and stopped his pacing in front of the window. Staring at the continuing rain, absently he said, 'I had my suspicions.' Getting back on topic, the Doctor asked, 'So why did Lacond, Susan and Sarah go back to Trivid, and how did they get there?'

K9 rolled into the room, ears waggling as he processed the conversation. 'The young mistress and non-human utilized the transmitter once its circuits were functioning at peak efficiency, Master.'

The Doctor turned from the window and looked down at the small robot. 'That transmitter was never designed to have a peak efficiency. It was supposed to be a one-way, single use device.'

K9's head dropped. 'Apologies, Master. I corrected what was naturally assumed to be a fault. The transmitter is now perfectly functional for multiple uses and programmable to different destinations. I installed a security feature to make this location a default destination, at the Mistress's request.'

The Doctor looked at Harry for confirmation. Harry only shrugged his shoulders. 'I have no idea what happened as far as when Lacond and Susan left. I only know what Sarah told me.'

'So why didn't Sarah just wait if she was so sure that I was on the way?'

'Apparently Susan and Sarah had an argument. When Susan found out that Lacond was planning on heading back to Trivid without waiting for you, Susan asked to go with her. Sarah thought it was important to resolve their issue, so she called me, explained the situation and took off.'

'She didn't think I would come,' the Doctor said softly.

Harry shook his head. 'Not in time, no. And she wasn't going to just let Susan slip away that easily.'

'Harry, this situation is very odd. Your daughter's never been off planet before, has she?'

Harry laughed lightly. 'Of course not, Doctor.' Then he realised what the Doctor meant. 'Oh, I see. Not exactly normal behaviour for an Earth teenager, eh?'

'So Susan was upset. What would make her that upset?' the Doctor asked.

Standing up, Harry frowned. 'She knows, Harry.' Sarah's words echoed in his head yet again. He began to clear the table and take the tea mugs to the sink. To the Doctor, he said, 'She was pretty upset with both Sarah and I. I guess she just overreacted. That's pretty typical of teenagers.'

The Doctor turned from the window and watched as Harry began to wash up the dishes. 'Harry, there's still something missing. Why was Lacond looking for me?'

Harry stopped what he was doing and looked over at the Doctor. 'Lacond thinks you can bring an end to her planet's decade-plus old civil war.'


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Lacond and Susan materialised in a dark cave. Susan could just barely see that the floor was made up of mostly sand and pebbles. The stagnant air quickly reminded her that they were no longer anywhere near Sarah's back yard. 'Woah! Where are we?'

'On Trivid, where I said we would be.' Lacond walked to the entrance of the cave and looked out. Seeing the Kithra valley, she smiled. 'We're not far from my camp's headquarters.' Her expression turned serious. 'Provided they're still there.'

Susan walked up to the damp cave wall and touched it, then absently wiped her hand on her trousers. She continued to look around in disbelief. 'This is real. I'm really not on Earth anymore?'

'No, you're not. We need to get moving and find out how much time has passed since I left.' Lacond headed out of the cave and looked up at the sky. 'Going by the positions of the suns, we have about two Earth hours of daylight left. Just enough time, if we hurry.'

'Suns, plural?' Susan followed her and gasped when she looked up and saw the two suns. 'Two of them?'

Lacond turned around and studied the teenager by her side. 'You've never left Earth before, have you?'

Susan laughed. 'No. I don't think most humans have.'

'Sarah didn't seem surprised by the mention of it.'

Susan frowned. 'Yeah, well, apparently Sarah isn't all she appears to be.' Suddenly she winced, reached up and grabbed her head. 'I just got the worst pain in my head.'

Lacond leaned in towards Susan and examined her eyes, then started walking. 'It's just an after-effect from the transmitter. It will soon pass. We have to get moving.'

Following Lacond, Susan shook her head to try and clear her transmitter-induced cobwebs. 'Right behind you,' she said softly.

~!~!~!~

Likaria stood up as the Mechguard leader entered the throne room. She watched in silence as his heavy, evenly paced steps quickly brought him across the room, each sound absorbed by the room's plush carpeting. As the Mechguard reached Likaria, he bowed reverently. 'You requested my presence, Leader?'

'Yes, Seven Leader. I have a task for your unit.'

The Mechguard didn't move from his bowed position. 'Anything you request, Leader.'

Likaria remained standing in front of the Mechguard and spoke without emotion. 'I want your unit to take TeArin Kendra into custody.'

The Mechguard raised only his head to look at Likaria questioningly. 'Is he not a member of the Chosen?'

Likaria shook her head. 'No longer. The Quadrant ordered the change in his status.' She regarded the emotionless creature in front of her. He once had the feelings and desires of any other Trividian, at least before his processing. She appreciated the unswerving loyalty the Mechguards gave her. They obeyed all orders with few questions.

'Does the Quadrant wish for him to be taken in for processing, Leader?'

'Not at this point in time. However, we are leaving that option open, so do not torture him beyond your ability to fix him.'

The Mechguard bowed again. 'As you wish, Leader, so it shall be.'

'Thank you, Seven Leader.' Likaria watched as the Mechguard left without another word. Her haughty smile dissolved into evil laughter as she crossed back to sit on her throne.

~!~!~!~

Harry finished putting away the last of the dishes and wiped down the countertop as the Doctor walked around to stand next to him. 'Civil war! Are you sure?'

Harry looked down at the Doctor. 'That's what she said. What that entails, I couldn't tell you. Everyone has a different idea of what makes up a civil war, Doctor. Needless to say, either way, it sounds dangerous for both Susan and Sarah.'

'Sounds dangerous for anybody.' The Doctor paced around the kitchen for a moment before stopping and turning back to Harry. 'All right, I'm going to head for Trivid. You stay here, in case either Sarah or Susan return.' He headed quickly out of the kitchen back towards the living room and the TARDIS.

Harry rushed around him, blocking his way into the TARDIS. 'Oh no you don't, Doctor. This is my daughter we're talking about. I'm not staying here, I'm going with you.'

'You admitted it was dangerous, Harry. Don't you think it best if you stay here, out of trouble?' the Doctor smiled nervously.

Harry got right in the Doctor's face. 'No I don't. At one time, I might have agreed with you, but not now. Susan and Sarah are too important. I will not be left behind. If you're so concerned about someone staying here, K9 will be here.'

The Doctor sighed and turned back as the robot dog rolled into the room. 'All right, all right. K9, you know how to contact me if either Sarah or Susan return.'

'Affirmative, Master.'

The Doctor looked at Harry. 'Let's go. You can fill me in on more of the details as we go.'

~!~!~!~

Mijaco hid around a corner outside Likaria's throne room and watched as the Mechguard exited. He took a deep breath before moving towards the door, feeling the stares of the guards as he approached, knowing they waited for only a signal from Likaria before grabbing him.

Likaria looked up, and shook her head to indicate to the guards to let Mijaco continue. She only stared as Mijaco first boldly crossed the room, then humbly knelt before her throne. 'I did not summon you, Mijaco,' she told him bluntly.

Mijaco kept his head bowed. 'I know my Leader, and I apologise, but I felt I needed to inform you of something.'

'What is it?' Likaria resolved herself to hearing what he had to say.

Full of self-assurance, he stood up and faced her. 'I fear, my Leader, that TeArin did not take his banishment well. He will probably need to be observed carefully.'

Mijaco could swear he saw a sneer cross Likaria's face as she turned away from him, but he wasn't certain. There were several moments of silence, as Likaria seemed to consider his words before she faced him again. 'Don't you worry, Mijaco. I have already been watching your son very closely. In fact, there are Mechguards on their way to watch him even more closely now.'

Fear instantly crossed Mijaco's face. 'Mechguards, my Leader? I was under the impression that TeArin was free, he just couldn't live as a member of the Chosen.'

'That was correct, until he spoke treason against the Quadrant. He will be punished for his sharp tongue.'

Mijaco dropped face down on the floor. 'My Leader, I, Mijaco, your humble servant, beg your forgiveness on my son's behalf. Please do not punish him any further.'

Likaria shook her head as a sad expression crossed her face. 'Mijaco, as much as I would like to allow your son to go free, he cannot. His crimes have crossed the line and I cannot argue your service for his life.'

'Are you going to have him processed?'

'That decision is up to the Electorate Body. It's out of my hands, Mijaco. Now, be gone from me.'

'Yes, my Leader.' Mijaco quickly scuttled out of the room, knowing his son had gone too far and he could not help him any further. Sadness wrapped around his heart and threatened to stop its beating, but he forced himself to not react until he was out of Likaria's sight.

~!~!~!~

It didn't take long for Susan and Lacond to reach where Taketo and Mirsaj had kept the camp. Everything was as she left it. Matter transmitters were unusual creatures, and Lacond knew it could have deposited her and Susan years after her original departure, but fortunately, in Trividian time, only two days had passed since her disappearance.

Lacond made up an explanation about Susan's presence, and quickly added that someone would soon be coming to help them break out of their current predicament. They were barely holding on against the Quadrant, and one more attack might prove to be the last. They desperately needed a solution, something to break the stranglehold. Lacond needed time to think, so she secluded herself away in her tent. Taketo had informed her of TeArin's banishment and subsequent disappearance. The conclusions all came out the same, he was now a Mechguard.

Lacond continued to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of her situation. Unfortunately, there seemed to be more disadvantages. All Lacond had now was an Earth teenager with a temper. She felt no better off than before she left. The only difference was her side wound was almost completely healed. She forced herself to think positively. Hopefully the Doctor would show up soon and have some sort of solution. She knew Susan could be trained and taught the ways of the resistance, and she planned on taking Susan under her wing and teaching her personally.

'Excuse me, General?' Mirsaj's voice announced from outside.

Lacond sighed, her reverie broken. 'Yes, come in Mirsaj.'

Mirsaj only stuck his head inside the tent. 'General, you may want to come out here. I think we have a small problem with our new arrival.'

Lacond grabbed her cane and headed outside, following Mirsaj towards the centre of the camp. Before she could see anything, she could hear the raised voices. She recognised them instantly. 'Oh no.'

~!~!~!~

In the TARDIS, the Doctor fiddled with the controls. Harry paced back and forth across the room. Finally, the Doctor looked up at him. 'Harry, stop pacing.'

'I'm sorry, Doctor. It's just that I'm worried about my daughter.'

The Doctor stopped playing with the console buttons. His eyes darkened as he glanced across the room at Harry, then went back to intently staring at the reading in front of him. 'I'm worried about this whole situation, Harry. We have no idea what we're getting into or what we're going to find once we get there.' He searched in his coat pocket, pulling out several objects and laying them on the edge of the console. 'Going off like this is exactly something I'd expect from Sarah, and it always gets her in trouble. I would've hoped you'd taught your daughter better, that maybe she could learn from the mistakes you saw Sarah make.' Finally, he found a small round tin. He passed it over to Harry, who seemed to be ignoring his advice. 'Here, open this and take one, Harry.'

Harry flipped the tin over and back and turned it around. 'What is it?'

'Anti-radiation pills.'

'Radiation?' Harry fumbled with the tin, trying to get it open and failing. 'What about Susan and Sarah? They don't have the benefit of these.'

'We have the transmitter data I downloaded from K9. I'm going to try to arrive before Lacond, Susan and Sarah.'

'Sounds good.' He continued to flounder with the tin. 'Doctor, I'm not having any luck with this.'

The Doctor grabbed the tin from Harry, pressed it gently in the centre so that the sides expanded and the lid easily came off. 'Here.'

Harry took the tin again. 'Thanks.' He reached in and took out a pill, quickly taking it. Then he stared at the tin for a moment.

The Doctor sighed. 'Squeeze the sides.'

The tin snapped shut with a sharp click as Harry obeyed the Doctor's orders. 'Amazing tin. I've never seen one that worked quite like that.'

'Apparently.'

'Tastes like very strong peppermint, eh, Doctor?'

'It has to be acceptable to the human palate; otherwise, you'd never take it. Now, keep those in your pocket and I've got another tin with me. Whichever one of us finds Sarah and Susan first can make sure they're OK.'

Harry stared at the TARDIS door. When they landed, beyond that door, would be his daughter and his best friend. They'd gotten themselves into heaven only knows what kind of trouble. Or worse. His thoughts instinctively went back to two definitive moments in his life as the whole scene again played out for him as real as the days they happened…memories tied together within his mind, even though they were over three years apart and thirteen years ago.

_Harry sat next to the bed in the hospital's intensive care unit. His eyes were moist with tears that wouldn't fall. Couldn't fall. At least not now. Not yet, anyway. Sarah stood back towards the door, crying softly. The doctors had left them alone to say their final goodbyes and now there was nothing left to say. Harry knew the doctors and nurses would need to come in and take care of things, they were hovering outside, he could feel it. Standing up, he released the cooling hand of the figure in the bed. He leaned over and kissed her one last time. 'Goodbye, my sweet Elizabeth.'_

_After he and Sarah said their goodbyes, he somehow forced himself to make the drive home. He had Susan to think about now. He knew that at three, Susan wouldn't remember much about Elizabeth, but they'd always known this day was coming. 'I promise to love you and Susan with every breath I have, but I can't promise how long it'll be,' she had once told him. He'd known she was dying since before they got married, but it never mattered to him. He loved her like he'd loved no other woman. She was always understanding and accepting, even with their unusual situation. She even dealt with the haunting memories of the one woman that always managed to break his heart._

_As he drove, he thought back to that one lazy Sunday afternoon he and Elizabeth strolled through Hyde Park. They walked hand in hand along the edge of the Serpentine, each lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Elizabeth stopped and looked at him. 'Harry, I have to tell you something.'_

_'Is something wrong, Elizabeth?'_

_'You could say that.' She sighed deeply. 'Harry, I talked to Sarah yesterday. She told me the truth.'_

_Harry sighed and gave a bit of a smile as he mentally prepared his defence. 'Well, my dear, there's a perfectly good explanation for…'_

_She cut him off. 'Harry, it's OK. Sarah and I had a long talk. I understand, really, I do. I don't have to like it, but I think I can understand it.'_

_'Really?'_

_Elizabeth smiled. 'Really.' She reached up and put her hands on Harry's chest, then leaned in like she was going to kiss him. But she didn't. Instead, she leaned in close to him and pushed. Hard._

_Harry staggered back and fell backside first, into the river. He came up spluttering. 'There was no need for that!' he fussed as he pulled himself out of the river._

_Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. 'No? I sometimes think both you and Sarah need your ears boxed, but she's my best friend and I'd never do that to her. Although it does get more tempting the longer I have to think about it.'_

_They continued to walk along in silence for a while. Well, as much silence as Harry could muster with his clothes dripping wet. They walked along into Kensington Gardens and towards the fountains. Harry turned and looked at Elizabeth. 'There was something I wanted to ask you, and I've wanted to ask for a while now.'_

_Elizabeth smiled. 'A while meaning before I pushed you into the water?'_

_Harry laughed. 'Yes. Although I'm not entirely sure this is the best time.' Elizabeth only looked at him. 'Oh well,' he said after a minute. 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.' He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. As he opened it, he took Elizabeth's hand and got down on one knee. 'Elizabeth Deanna Hazelgrove, will you consent to being my wife?'_

_Elizabeth just laughed, then reached up and covered her mouth with her free hand. 'I'm sorry.' She pulled her hand away from her face. 'It's just that you look so silly kneeling down there, all sopping wet, with that wickedly boyish gleam in your eye.'_

_'So is that a yes?'_

_Elizabeth started nodding, her own silly grin spreading across her face. Harry jumped up and they quickly embraced. 'Of course I'll marry you, Harold Alexander Sullivan!' she mimicked his use of her full name._

_The changing traffic signal brought Harry back to the present time. He was now a widower before he turned 30, plus he had a three-year-old daughter to take care of. There was really only one person he could go to now. Elizabeth's best friend and Susan's godmother. As he pulled into his own driveway, it started to rain._

_Half an hour later, Harry pulled into a second driveway and turned off the car lights. He jumped out in the pouring rain and walked around to the rear door of the car, opening it. He unfastened the infant seat harness from around the sleeping form of Susan and wrapped her in his overcoat. Picking her up, he headed for the door, stumbling only once. He rang the doorbell and waited. After a moment, he rang it again, then shifted Susan so he could look at his watch. 3.00am. He rang the doorbell yet again as a light flicked on inside. He saw Sarah peer through the window as lightning illuminated everything around him._

_Sarah flung the door open and without words, quickly ushered Harry inside. Sarah lifted the raincoat off the bundle that Harry was gently cradling and took Susan out of her father's arms. Harry absently shut the door as Sarah nodded towards the sofa. 'Sit down. I'll take Susan in the other room.' Harry was still in shock, his body walking itself across the room to practically fall onto the waiting sofa. The words of the doctors still echoed in his mind, the memories of those final moments seared into his brain. He doubted he could ever forget either. With his brain on autopilot, he'd bundled up his young daughter and headed to the only place he knew to go. The one place that wasn't an empty house filled with memories._

_Sarah returned quickly, carrying a blanket. 'She's all tucked in.' Harry nodded blankly as Sarah began to help him out of his wet jacket. She wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, squeezing them gently for reassurance._

_Harry reached out and grabbed Sarah's hands in his own. He couldn't quite place the look in her eyes as they met his. As Harry pulled Sarah down to sit next to him, the tears that he had been fighting all evening began to fall unchecked. 'I can't believe she's gone,' he said despairingly, his voice barely above a whisper._

_Sarah pulled Harry to her, resting his head against her shoulder. Tears fell down Sarah's face as Harry began to sob bitterly. 'I'm so sorry, Harry.'_

_'What am I going to do without her?' Harry finally choked out. He pulled back and looked up into Sarah's eyes. 'Sarah, I always knew the cancer would take her, and I knew it wasn't much longer once she went back into the hospital, but I'm not ready. I didn't have enough time!'_

_'I know,' Sarah said soothingly. 'None of us had enough time with her.' Her arms tightened around Harry as the sobs overtook him once more._

_When Harry woke up the next morning, he wanted, even needed the previous night to be a horrific nightmare. As soon as he woke up, however, he realized that he wasn't going to be that fortunate. He immediately recognised his surroundings and remembered that he had fallen asleep on Sarah's sofa. He sat up with a start, but relaxed as he noticed Sarah asleep in the armchair next to the sofa. He couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. Susan was sleeping all curled up in Sarah's lap with her head resting against Sarah's shoulder._

_Sarah looked positively motherly, although Harry swore he'd never tell her that. He envisioned the life they could have had together, maybe should have had together. But life in general was always convoluted and Harry's in particular always took the strangest turns whenever Sarah was involved. He knew that this time would be no different._

_Sarah's eyes opened and she looked up at Harry and smiled sadly. 'Morning,' she said softly._

_'Morning,' he replied, just as softly so as not to wake Susan. 'I have to take care of finalising the arrangements. Would it be all right, I mean, do you mind…' Harry sighed to try and clear his thoughts. 'Could Susan possibly stay with you?'_

_Sarah nodded, 'Of course! You know I'll do anything, just let me know.'_

_'I couldn't be more grateful.' Harry reached out and took Sarah's hand. 'Sarah, I'm watching you sit there with Susan asleep in your lap and I can't help but think...'_

_Sarah cut him off. 'Shhhh. Don't Harry, please,' she begged. 'You're going through enough, don't dwell on things we can't go back and change.'_

_'But don't you sometimes regret it?'_

_'You know as well as I do that we did what was best for Susan,' Sarah said._

_Harry noticed Sarah sounded much stronger than she looked, and saw the conviction in her eyes. 'You're right, of course.'_

'Harry? Harry?' The Doctor continued to call out to him, shaking Harry from his reverie. 'Is something wrong?'

'No, sorry. I was just thinking about Susan. I'm worried about her.' He took a deep breath to help bring his thoughts into focus. 'Doctor, you do think they'll be all right, don't you?''

The Doctor didn't have time to answer before the time rotor in the centre of the console slowed to a halt. 'We'll soon find out.'


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Susan jumped up as she saw Sarah approaching. 'How did you get here?'

'Same way as you, the matter transmitter.'

Susan glared. 'Why?'

'I'm not going to let you rush off to another planet on your own with someone you recently met just because you're upset.'

'Upset? Upset? This is more than upset.'

Sarah nodded, 'I know. And I know why, and I'm not trying to justify it, I'm not trying to cover it up. I'm just going to try to make sure you're OK as long as we're here.'

Susan worked up to a yell. 'How could you lie to me? I trusted you, I loved you as if you WERE my mother. We're not talking about something simple, we're talking my whole identity!'

'Susan, if you could let me explain.'

'What is there to explain? You obviously didn't have any intention of telling me the truth.'

Sarah paused before answering. She knew that she couldn't afford to match Susan's emotional level. 'You asked how I could lie to you. It wasn't a matter of lying, it was a matter of not knowing when to tell you the truth.'

'I'm sixteen years old. I think I'm old enough to know.'

'I don't blame you for being upset, confused, mad, never willing to talk to me again. All that is perfectly justified, and if I were in your shoes, I don't know that I would react any differently.'

Susan calmed down a bit and let that sink in. 'You don't?'

'No, of course not. I would be furious too if it were me.'

'So how could you let it go on?'

'The honest answer is…I don't know.'

The raised voices drew Lacond over. 'You two need to keep your voice levels down. Do you want to attract the whole of the Quadrant to us?'

Sarah turned her anger towards Lacond. 'How dare you kidnap an innocent young girl to do battle in this war of yours?'

'I did not kidnap Susan. She volunteered.'

'You took her off-world. Do you honestly think any normal human would volunteer to go to war on another planet? We have a hard enough time getting them to volunteer for the wars on our own planet! I would also venture to say that over 95% of the population has never been off of the Earth.'

'You didn't blink about my being from Trivid, and here you stand, totally unsurprised.'

'I've lived a different life than Susan has. I'm very familiar with travelling to other planets.'

Susan looked first at Lacond, then at Sarah. 'You are?'

'Yes, I've been to many places in my lifetime.'

Lacond continued her defence. 'I was honest with Susan about why she would be coming here. I warned her that this would not be an easy life. It's something she chose for herself. I'm sure that she would tell you how important that is for her.'

'I don't need your help in dealing with my…with Susan.'

Susan piped up after hearing Sarah's comment. 'You can't even say it, can you? Your daughter? Are those the words you can't quite get out, Mother?' She spit out the word Mother as if it were a curse. To Sarah, it suddenly felt like it might be.

'OK, I'm not exactly used to considering myself that way. It will take some time getting used to the idea.'

'And yet I'm supposed to accept it right away?'

'I'm not asking you to accept it, Susan. Whether you accept any change of my role in your life is up to you. I will always be the woman that had a main role in your life after Elizabeth died. You're almost an adult, I'm not going to force my way into the rest of your life if you don't want me.'

'So what do you call following me here?'

'I call that unavoidable. You have no way of getting home and you have no idea what being off-world is like. I do, and I don't want you in unnecessary danger. So I followed you to make sure you stay out of harm's way. Once that is done, any involvement in your life will be totally up to you. Deal?'

Susan shrugged. 'Deal.' After Sarah gave her no response, she waited a minute and then softly added, 'You won't even fight for me?'

Sarah sighed. 'I won't fight WITH you. Not over this. I will go to the ends of the universe and back to keep you safe and fight FOR you. But I'm not going to fight with you. There's no point, really. If you have questions, I'm willing to answer them honestly and to the best of my ability.'

'What about Dad?'

'What about him?'

'What was his role in all this?'

Sarah gave a hint of a smile. 'Well, he is your father, so he did have some role in all this.'

'Why didn't he tell me the truth?'

'You'll have to ask him. I always figured it was something that we would do together, but I guess the timing never worked out. I don't know if part of it was denial about your growing up, or whether there was another reason. All I know is for the longest time he never wanted to bring it up. After a while, I stopped asking. As for his motives, you'll have to take that up with him next time we see him.' After a moment of silence between the two women, Sarah walked away. She looked out over the camp of rebels and started to assess her situation.

A thought occurred to Susan, so she ran to catch up with Sarah. Both women looked straight ahead at the landscape in front of them, not facing each other. 'Will we see him again? Do we honestly have a snowball's chance of getting back to Earth?'

Sarah shrugged. 'I honestly don't know, but we need to remain positive. We also have to buckle down and do what we came here to do, which was to help Lacond. Otherwise, we're just going to be a liability, and no one in the military needs liabilities during a war.'

'This is serious?'

'Very serious. Civil war is nothing to be taken lightly under the best of circumstances. From what Lacond has described, this is NOT the best of circumstances.'

~!~!~!~

Likaria made sure no one was watching before she moved a tapestry in the back of her throne room. Behind the tapestry was a small door. She ducked into the doorway and walked down a dimly lit, narrow hallway. After about 30 metres, the hallway widened into a brightly lit, clinical room where the walls were covered in computer monitors and equipment. Against one wall was a person-shaped terminal.

Likaria slipped off her heavy robe and stepped into the terminal. She reached out with first one hand then the other and slid back panels on the backs of each of her arms, revealing computer plug-ins. She pushed her arms into the sockets and listened for the connection. 'Voice recognition activate,' she said aloud.

The computer voice answered her. 'Voice identified as Likaria.'

Likaria's head dropped and another small panel slid aside at the base of her skull. A small connector eased out of the wall and inserted itself into the connector in her skull.

Likaria's voice echoed around the room, yet her mouth did not move. 'Synchronizing MechGuard leaders. Process the humanoid known as TeArin.'

The computers simply whirred in almost silent response.

~!~!~!~

Mijaco walked around the edge of the Chosen settlement. There were many buildings badly in need of repair. He wondered if he should suggest some repairs, especially as it would stop many of the Chosen from thinking about their current situation.

His reverie was broken as he found himself surrounded by three of the highest ranking members of the Chosen: Jefred, Gelhad and Danick. They were all men who had decided against a military style of life, but enjoyed the benefits being among the Chosen afforded them.

'Explain what is going on Mijaco,' Danick demanded. 'How can you guarantee our safety?'

Gelhad joined in, 'Are the rest of the children going to be taken as TeArin was?'

'Do you need to be replaced?' Jefred added.

'Please, there is no reason for alarm. TeArin was taken because he violated the laws of the Quadrant and spoke treason against them. As long as we remember who our leaders are, we will have no problems.'

Danick frowned. 'You speak so easily for someone who just lost a son.'

'At least he wasn't killed by Lacond.' Gelhad admitted. 'Although, maybe that would have been better for him. At least he wouldn't be facing conversion.'

Mijaco glared. 'I have the Quadrant's assurances that TeArin is not going to be converted into a MechGuard. At this moment, they are observing him, nothing further. He's only been banished out of our compound.'

'You delude yourself, Mijaco. So again, I raise my question, do you need to be replaced?' Jefred insisted.

'Would you like to take my place? Do you think you have it in you to fight and kill our fellow Trividians? Like it or not, Lacond and her rebel bunch are Trividians.'

'But she is our enemy.' Jefred continued.

'Yes, she is, but if she would realize that the Quadrant really has the whole of Trivid's best interests at heart, then we could all end this, and end it quickly.'

Jefred got right in Mijaco's face. His feelings were evident. 'This war will only be ended by Lacond's death, Mijaco. You know that as well as anyone. So why is it taking so long? She is one person. One person alone can not hide out forever, living in the shadows.'

Mijaco raised his voice. He wouldn't back down from Likaria, he certainly wouldn't back down from Jefred. 'If you have a better idea of how that should be done, I'm open to suggestions, but until then, you will not speak ill of anyone in military command. At least TeArin had the strength to join me in battle, even if he didn't agree with the way things were being run at the end. You sit in your houses and the war never touches you. You live in posh luxury compared to the remnant of the population who live in rubble or in the caves. You have no idea what it's like out there on the front lines every day. Until you do, I will hear no more of this conjecture.'

He walked away before anyone else had a chance to add anything to the conversation.

~!~!~!~

The Doctor stepped quickly out of the TARDIS with Harry following hot on his heels. He stopped suddenly and Harry ran into his back. 'What's wrong, Doctor?' Harry asked.

The Doctor pulled a small square device out of his coat pocket and read the measurements. He passed it over to Harry. 'Here, hold this a minute.' He then pulled out another circular disc with a tiny keypad. He input several numbers before frowning, putting the disc back in his pocket and took the square device from Harry. 'We're late.'

Harry just watched, curious. 'Doctor, what did you just do?'

'The radiation levels are wrong. We're late. By the equivalent of about two Earth years.'

Harry gestured over he shoulder back at the TARDIS. 'Well, should we try again?'

Instead of responding, the Doctor just began to walk. Finally, he glanced back at Harry, who was still standing by the TARDIS. 'Are you coming? We're better off to ascertain the situation and go from here.'


	5. Chapter 5

A/N - In the last chapter, the Doctor and Harry realised they got to Trivid two years after Susan and Sarah arrived.

So what has become of Susan and Sarah in those two years???

~!~!~!~

Susan looked up at Trivid's dual suns, then out at the battle unfolding in front of her. The weary eyes of a soldier had replaced the idealism of the young woman. Her pale skin was now a golden tan and sun-streaked blonde had replaced her once light brown hair. Brown metal-plated armour covered her always lean, but now tightly muscled body. It had been almost two years since she had first arrived on Trivid. How time flies when you're having fun, she thought to herself.

Kithra was once again a battlefield. Several soldiers with Navipods had already descended into the valley. Mirsaj stood next to Susan, each of them ready to jump in their Navipods and join the battle. Susan reached down and quickly inserted a small chip into the control panel of her Navipod. 'It's ready,' she told Mirsaj.

'It's a last resort,' Mirsaj reminded her. 'But if it wins us this battle, it'll be worth the cost.'

'What it'll cost us to use it now, or what it has already cost us? A lot of good people have died for this information. Including Sarah. I won't let her death be for nothing.'

Mirsaj turned towards Susan. 'You also won't let your heart rule your fighting. That's a good way to get us all killed.'

Susan glared at him. 'Don't you think I know that? I've been fighting your war for a while now. What have I gained out of it? Nothing, nothing at all, only loss.'

Mirsaj walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. When he spoke, it was barely above a whisper. 'I'm sorry, Susan, I know you still miss Sarah. We wouldn't have this information if it weren't for her sacrifice. Her and others like her. Besides, you know how I worry about you.'

Susan reached up and took hold of Mirsaj's hand. 'I know. Thank you, Mirsaj. But, we have a battle to fight now, we can talk about this later.'

Mirsaj walked back over to his Navipod as Susan reached down into hers and pulled out her helmet. As she pulled the radar visor over her face, Mirsaj again reminded her. 'Last resort.'

'Last resort,' she repeated. 'Let's go.'

They jumped into their Navipods and glided into the valley. Things went well for a while as they manoeuvred around the Mechguards. Susan was thankful that Navipods allowed them more freedom of movement than the Mechguards heavy armour. They spun around the legs of the Mechguards, the reflective surface of the Navipods causing the Mechguards to be slightly disoriented.

A blip on her radar caused her to break concentration for only a second. Across the valley, Mirsaj's Navipod was surrounded by four Mechguards. Each one was firing their laser weapons directly at it. She knew instinctively that the reflective surface was breaking down, many more direct hits and he would be vulnerable. Two foot soldiers rushed to his aid, but their body armour was no match for the Mechguards advanced weapons, and they soon fell.

She knew it was time. She signalled the rest of the drivers to steer the Mechguards towards Mirsaj. It didn't take long for the group to converge on the one location. 'Last resort, be ready,' she warned the other drivers.

As the other drivers signalled their understanding, she reached down and pressed the button next to the newly installed computer chip. All the Mechguards came crashing to the ground, but so did the Navipods, all of their computer chips being jammed.

The drivers were instantly out of the disabled Navipods, as was Susan. They grabbed their hand weapons and made fast work of the Mechguards. Mercifully, the whole grisly scene was over quickly. Susan holstered her laser hand weapon and looked around. Mirsaj was nowhere to be seen.

As the other drivers began to help the wounded resistance soldiers get back to camp, Susan looked for Mirsaj's Navipod. It didn't take her long to find the smoking remains. She managed to reach down and activate the manual opening. As the Navipod opened, she gasped at the sight in front of her. Blood was running out from under the side of Mirsaj's helmet. She reached in and eased his helmet off, cradling his head in her hands. She pushed the hair out of his eyes, her hand smearing away the blood on his face. The wound itself didn't look bad, just a gash above one eye, but Susan was sure he had at least a concussion.

Mirsaj's eyes opened slowly. 'Did we do it?' he whispered.

Susan smiled. 'It worked like a dream. Crashed everything, just like we knew it would.'

'Casualties?'

'Not as bad as we feared. Eight soldiers in all. Of course all six Navipods are toast. We'll have to find a way to get them back to camp, just in case we can use the parts or repair them.'

'I think my leg is broken.'

Susan smiled. 'You'll live.' She reached down to help him. 'Let's get you out of here and back to camp.'

Mirsaj managed to crawl out of the broken Navipod with Susan's support. He leaned on her as they started heading out of the valley. Neither one of them saw the arm of the Mechguard barely moving along the ground behind them. It reached out and with only a twist of the wrist, raised its weapon and fired.

Susan yelped as Mirsaj suddenly dropped beside her. She whirled around, grabbing her gun in one fluid movement and fired at the Mechguard. Her shot easily hit its unmoving target. Susan ran back and grabbed the Mechguard gun, holding it at the Mechguard's chest and repeatedly firing. 'Damn you!' she cried out and then screamed, loud and long, continuing to fire the weapon at close range. She was soon out of breath, the weapon falling limp against her side.

As she ran back towards the fallen form of Mirsaj, two other drivers joined her. She fell to her knees and took Mirsaj's pulse, registering the faint heartbeat. 'He's still alive. We have to get him back to camp, quickly,' she told the other two.

'Are you OK?' one of them asked her.

She looked down at her blood-splattered armour and the smears of blood on her face and hands. 'Yeah, right as rain,' she answered, her voice laced with more than a bit of sarcasm.

~!~!~!~

Likaria sat in a small conference room. Three others, dressed identically to Likaria, sat around the oval table with a small view screen glowing in the centre of it. In front of Likaria there was a small touch pad that controlled the images on the screen.

She observed her fellow members of the Quadrant as they continued to stare at the view screen. 'The situation before us is obvious.'

'We need another Mechguard unit guarding our stores more closely,' Andrun, the oldest member of the Quadrant, stated.

Likaria shook her head. 'We don't have a unit to spare. As you can see, the rebels took a nasty beating today. The one they were dragging off was very close to Lacond. But that off-worlder is becoming more and more of a nuisance.'

'Our own forces didn't exactly go without casualties. That's why I think another unit would be good. We can't risk losing any Cyryllium, it is our hold on the planet. The rebels wouldn't dare take the chance and attack the Cyryllium stores with two units guarding it. Certainly there are prisoners in the camps that could be processed into a new unit?'

Likaria looked at the older man before bringing up more images on the view screen. 'The processing has already begun. I plan to take some of the more experienced Mechguards that are currently in the prison and bring them in for additional training. All they know how to do is torture prisoners; we have to teach them to fight. The new Mechguards, when they finish their conversion, will do a tour of duty in the prison.'

Garnd, the most experienced military member of the group finally spoke. 'The rebels have been too clever lately. Either they're getting information from inside the Chosen, or we're getting slack. How else do you explain their ability to jam the Mechguards brain chips?'

'That jamming cost them their precious Navipods. They are nothing without those,' Likaria reminded him.

'What of that alien woman we captured several moons ago? Could the leak have come through her?' Andrun asked.

Likaria shook her head. 'She had no vital information and served no purpose, as far as we could tell. I took a special interest in her when we captured her, but nothing we did to her revealed anything we didn't already know from other sources. She is connected to that other alien that is causing so much havoc. I will spend some time with the prisoner to see what other information I can gather from her.'

Andrun stared at Garnd. 'Do you think someone has infiltrated the Chosen?'

Garnd shook his head. 'No, it's more likely that someone has become disillusioned with their current situation.'

'Then we need to show them how privileged they truly are,' Zedri, the final member, said in her soft, yet venomous voice.


	6. Chapter 6

Susan sat by one of the beds in the medical tent. Her elbows rested on her knees and she had her head in her hands. Lacond silently came in behind her and walked up, putting a hand on Susan's shoulder. 'How is he?' she finally asked.

They both looked at Mirsaj's figure, unconscious and lying in the bed. Finally, Susan looked up at Lacond. 'I'd feel better if he'd wake up. He's lost a lot of blood, and the shock of that damn current running through his system didn't help.'

'I wish the Mechguards didn't use electrical weapons, but we really don't have much choice in the matter.'

'I sure would like to know how that one managed to keep moving. Granted, it was only barely moving, but it was enough. We need to look at that disabling device and see if we can increase the power on it. We have to make sure that we knock everything out with one blow. We don't need to be looking over our shoulders.'

'I couldn't agree more. I actually have Taketo looking at that now. Hopefully she can find a different frequency or something that will work.'

Susan smiled faintly. 'At least we got a couple of their weapons. Maybe we can figure out what makes them tick and turn it against them.'

Lacond nodded. 'I sent several troops to pick up as much as they could of the Navipods and whatever was left of the Mechguard armour.'

'Any chance of getting a few more samples of those computer brain chips they all have?'

'They're looking into it.' After a minute, Lacond added, 'We also know that the Quadrant was observing the whole battle.'

'Are you saying they let us get as far as we did?'

'All I'm saying is that I have to wonder about our jamming chip.'

Susan just shook her head. Another soldier quickly came in and saluted. 'I'm sorry to bother you General, but we have the Navipods and other materials from the battle outside. There are a couple of pieces that need your attention.'

Lacond nodded. 'I'll be right there. Susan, let me know if there's any change in Mirsaj's condition.'

'Of course.'

~!~!~!~

Mijaco read the latest report coming in from the battlefront. 'At least they didn't ask any of the Chosen's troops to join them,' he told the man standing next to him. 'We would've fallen just as quickly as the rebels.'

'You could always elect for conversion,' the man replied.

Mijaco looked at the tall man beside him. 'Netran, don't make jokes like that. You know as well as I do that conversion is a death sentence. Lacond and the rebels are getting desperate. It's only a matter of time before this war is over. How much longer can she fight with a handful of troops and sparse attacks on whomever they find. There's no more organisation in her methods.'

'Are you saying Lacond's lost her touch?'

'I'm saying she's a desperate woman. Desperate people do desperate things. We should move while she's unsuspecting.'

Netran shook his head. 'The Quadrant hasn't indicated we should attack, have they?'

'Not yet, but it's only a matter of time.' Mijaco walked out, leaving Netran holding the reports.

Netran frowned. He directed a comment towards a microphone hidden in his wrist armour. 'Did you hear that, my Leader? He bears watching, in my opinion.'

Likaria's words echoed in his ears, inaudible to anyone else who may have been around. 'I didn't ask for your opinion, nor do I wish to hear it.'

Netran nodded humbly. 'Yes my Leader, I apologise.'

~!~!~!~

Lacond sat cross-legged on the ground, surrounded by pieces of metal that were once a Navipod transport. As she tried desperately to put some of the shattered pieces back together again, Susan walked up to her.

'Any luck?' Susan asked.

'No.' Lacond frowned and tossed the piece she was holding to the ground in frustration. 'I was hoping we'd be able to repair it, but without more Cyryllium, I don't see how.'

'We could try to get to the Cyryllium mine on the west side of Kithra,' Susan offered.

Lacond looked up at her. 'I wish that were possible. The Quadrant has at least two Mechguard units guarding it at all times since our last attack. If we had enough Cyryllium to repair all our broken Navipods, we might be able to take one unit, but we'd never be able to take two.' She changed topics. 'How is Mirsaj?'

'Resting comfortably, I guess. He still hasn't woken up. I just needed to get some fresh air.' She sighed. 'I wish that Doctor fellow had showed up. He might have had an idea.'

'I just knew he'd be here, but it's been almost two years since we returned. We've lost a lot of good people in that year. I don't expect we'll ever see the Doctor.' Lacond reached up and squeezed Susan's hand gently. 'I'm sorry, Susan. For everything. I at least wish I had the Cyryllium to repair the transmitter so you could get back to Earth.'

'K9 didn't use Cyryllium to get us here in the first place. He said it used TARDIS energy from the Doctor's ship.'

'And without the Doctor's TARDIS, the closest thing available is Cyryllium, and we currently don't have any.'

'I wouldn't leave now anyway. I'm committed to staying here and seeing this through.'

Lacond took her cane and pulled herself up. 'Even if we all just end up in a shallow grave?'

'I don't think that will happen.' Lacond raised an eyebrow in response. Susan knew exactly what she was talking about and answered her unspoken question. 'Sarah knew the risks and took a chance. I'm doing the same, but hopefully the outcome will be different.'

'Isn't that what you said was the definition of the earth term "insanity"?'

Anexda ran up to them. She was a young woman, one brave enough to leave her family in the Chosen to align herself with Lacond. 'General, we found something interesting that we think someone should come and see.'

'What is it, Anexda?'

'It almost looks like raw Cyryllium, if that's possible.'

Lacond processed the thought instantly. She knew there were rumours about a possible new vein of Cyryllium, something pure and easy to process. Something that perhaps the Quadrant didn't yet know about. She usually dismissed the thoughts as pure optimism on the part of the younger rebels. Something that could potentially increase the morale and the hopes that someday this war would end favourably.

Susan watched as Lacond listened intently to Anexda's words. 'Lacond, I can take a couple of people and investigate. If it looks like something useful, one of us can stay while the other gets backup.'

Lacond agreed. 'Yes, take Anexda and Sendka. Go heavily armed, you never know if this might be another Quadrant trap.'

'Will do.' Susan and Anexda left quickly. 'If there's any chance that this might be raw Cyryllium, we need to act fast.

~!~!~!~

Two rebel soldiers silently watched as two men walked across the valley. The men stopped and looked at various pieces of rubble that littered the Kithra battlefield. The taller, slender man looked around, prompting the soldiers to crouch down to avoid being seen.

They listened as the two men talked amongst themselves.

'Doctor, I can't help but feel like we're being watched.'

'This is Trivid in the middle of a civil war, of course you're being watched.'

The older soldier whispered, 'Did that person just call the short man, "Doctor"?'

The young soldier replied, also at a whisper. 'It certainly sounded like it, sir.'

The older soldier smiled. Suddenly, the two soldiers rushed down, one grabbing the Doctor and one grabbing Harry. The soldiers were stronger and with little resistance, soon were pulling the Doctor and Harry along towards their camp.


	7. Chapter 7

Lacond looked at the pieces of Navipods sorted out in front of her. A young Trividian stood next to her. 'Get rid of everything that's left. I've pulled out everything that wasn't irreparably damaged. I want the junk out of here and untraceable.'

The young soldier nodded. 'Yes, sir.' He ran off to complete his orders.

Lacond walked over to Taketo, who was watching from a distance. 'Any change in Mirsaj's condition?'

'He's awake, but in a lot of pain. He's asking for Susan.'

'Susan, Sendka and Anexda went to go investigate a potential new source of Cyryllium.'

'Isn't that a long shot?'

'Possibly, Taketo, possibly. But I can't take the chance on not looking into it, just in case.'

'I hope there is something out there. We need all the hope we can get.'

'I am almost positive that this is a trap. I just hope I know what the goal is.'

Taketo frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'It's just way too convenient for there to be some Cyryllium lying around. The Quadrant won't get their hands dirty, but they want to know where our base camp is. I would imagine that there's some sort of tracking device on it. Either that, or the whole area is being carefully monitored by the Quadrant. Which still gives us the upper hand.'

'How so?'

'Because we know what they're doing. If there's a tracking device on it, we can get rid of it. Susan is watching closely to see if someone is following her, and knows how to lose them. If by some strange reason she does get followed unnoticed, we might have a fight on our hands, but at least we won't be surprised.'

~!~!~!~

Susan looked around the area carefully. 'Something doesn't feel right.'

Anexda glanced at the human beside her. 'I don't see anything unusual.'

'Me either, that's what worries me.'

Sendka saw something that caught her eye. 'Sir, look!' She pointed to a spot in about 200 metres in front of her. 'What is that half buried over there?'

Susan saw it as well and drew her sidearm. 'You two cover me while I go investigate.' Zigzagging across the terrain, Susan took turns hiding behind various rocks and crawling along in places just to avoid any possible prying eyes. Finally she made her way to the site that had caught Sendka's eyes. Half buried amongst the rocks and rubble was a small gold bracelet wrapped around a chunk of crystalline Cyryllium. Susan recognized the bracelet and pocketed it as she pulled up the Cyryllium. 'Thank you, Sarah.' Susan whispered as she made her way back towards Anexda and Sendka.

'It's not much, but it's better than nothing.'

Anexda smiled. 'Let's get back to General Lacond.'

~!~!~!~

'General Lacond!' Mexlan called out. He and Edner were leading two strangers they had taken prisoner.

Lacond exited her tent and smiled. 'Good job, Mexlan. Let the Doctor and Doctor Sullivan go.'

Harry was indignant as Edner took off the restraints holding his arms. 'I say Lacond, if your ruffians here had just told us they were bringing us to you, we wouldn't have fought them.'

'We had to make sure. With the Doctor, you never know which face you're going to get. I apologize for the rough treatment.' She gestured around. 'Welcome to Trivid. Not exactly a paradise, but it's home.'

Taketo joined Lacond at her side. 'Doctor. I certainly didn't expect to see you.' She looked at Harry. 'And you must be Susan's father. I'd be very proud of her if I were you.'

'Where is Susan? And Sarah?' Harry asked.

The Doctor spoke up. 'Taketo, when I left the matter transmitter with you, it was with the understanding that it was only to be used in an emergency.'

'This was an emergency, Doctor. I'm sure by now you've heard about what happened to Lacond. We had no choice.'

'There's always a choice. And now there are innocent people involved.'

'Everyone on Trivid was innocent before this war began!' Lacond interjected hotly. 'How dare you come here and make accusations before you even know all the circumstances? I didn't figure that you would be so judgemental.'

Harry interrupted. 'Excuse me, before this gets out of hand. I want to know where I can find my daughter and Sarah.'

'Susan went to investigate a possible source of Cyryllium.'

'Do you honestly think that's wise?' the Doctor asked.

'Doctor, we have no choice. That's really the difference between winning and losing this war.'

'I don't mean about the Cyryllium, I mean about sending Susan.'

Lacond smiled. 'She has become an excellent warrior.'

Harry frowned. 'She was a happy teenager when I last saw her.'

Lacond shook her head. 'Correction. She was a very unhappy teenager. Otherwise she wouldn't have come with me in the first place. Besides, it's been almost two of your Earth years since we got back.' Lacond looked past the Doctor and Harry. 'Now, here they come.'

Harry spun around and called out. 'Sue?'

Susan's eyes lit up and she took off in a run towards him. 'Dad!' She ran into his outstretched arms, nearly knocking him over. 'I didn't think I'd ever see you again!'

Harry pulled back and looked at her, tears just forming at the edges of his eyes. 'I couldn't leave you out here.' He noticed the large volume of blonde strands now running through her hair and the dark tan of her skin. She'd always been petite, like her mother, but now she was very lean and muscular. Her frame was that of a well-trained soldier. 'It's been a long time, hasn't it?'

Susan nodded. 'Almost two years now. Even Sarah's been gone for six or so months now, I'd guess.'

Harry looked puzzled. 'What do you mean, gone?'

Lacond looked at Susan and shook her head. 'I did not tell them.'

'Oh.' Susan took a deep breath and centred her thoughts. 'All right.' Susan took her father's hands in hers. 'Dad, Sarah was killed when the Mechguards attacked her unit.'

'Her unit?' he asked.

Lacond filled in the details. 'Sarah was with a team that was trying to help get communications set up between some of the remote factions. She and a handful of others were supposed to meet with General Endri on the north side of Kithra. When they got there, Endri's faction had already been destroyed. We never heard anything else from them.'

'Then there's still some chance. If they've not been heard from, perhaps they're in hiding.'

The Doctor closed his eyes and sent a telepathic signal, searching for an answer. He frowned at the response he got back. It was broken and hurting, in both physical and mental pain. He tried to locate the source, but couldn't.

Lacond continued her explanation. 'We went to the area and discovered what happened.'

'Bodies?' Harry asked.

Lacond only nodded in response. The Doctor reached up and squeezed Harry's shoulder, but Harry shrugged him off.

He turned from them and started walking away, but Susan quickly followed him. They walked together in silence for a while. After a while, Susan said, 'I'm sorry, Dad.'

'For what, Sue?' he replied softly without looking at her.

'I know that you were best friends. You even loved her at one point, so this can't be easy for you.'

Harry glanced down at Susan. 'You have no idea,' he said harshly.

Susan glared back at him, starting softly, then building up to a yell. 'Oh no? I think maybe I do. She had a very strange way of showing it, but she was my mother, after all!' She shook her head to clear her thoughts. 'Sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to yell. This is still a shock for you. I've at least had six months to get used to the idea of her being gone.'

'I understand. This isn't fair. You were never supposed to lose Sarah. Especially after Elizabeth.'

'I just can't seem to keep mothers, can I?' she half-heartedly joked.

'Susan,' Harry chided.

'Well, it's true. I didn't exactly react very well to finding out the truth, did I? Even when Sarah died, she and I weren't on the best of terms. There's a lot about the last two years I wish I could take back.' Susan fell into silence as she got lost in her own thoughts.

'There are things about the last thirteen or fifteen years, or however many that happens to be now that I'd like to take back.'

'Don't you mean eighteen years? I mean, that's how old I am now.'

'No. I don't mean that at all. I don't regret anything about you being born, if that's what you're suggesting.'

Susan only shrugged.

'When Elizabeth died, Sarah and I briefly talked about telling you the truth when you were old enough, but the time just never seemed right. I tried to do the proper thing when I found out Sarah was pregnant and marry her, but she turned me down flat, and in a hurry, I might add. I should've insisted, then at least you would have had no doubt about your identity. Elizabeth was very understanding about the whole situation. I don't know anyone else on earth that would have be so accepting.'

Susan and Harry sat down in a small clearing. Susan laid back on the grass, her hands behind her head, staring up at the sky. 'You and Sarah would've been divorced within a couple years, I'm sure.'

'Why do you say that?'

'Because it wasn't something you both wanted. Sarah wanted her independence. That's why she was OK with you and Elizabeth raising me. Of course she also knew that Elizabeth didn't have a very long life expectancy. So, in a way, she was just postponing raising me. And sort of legalising the whole thing without you guys having to get married, divorced and sharing custody.'

Harry looked over at Susan. 'Did Sarah tell you that?'

Susan shook her head. 'No. Just observations based on her character. You're very honourable, so the trouble I have with is how you could love one woman, supposedly wholeheartedly; sleep with another, who just happens to be her best friend, and then try to make it all OK.' She closed her eyes and just let the suns slowly calm her.

'Well, it didn't all happen at the same time, you know. You were conceived before I even met Elizabeth. In fact, it was Sarah that introduced us. I didn't find out Sarah was pregnant until a couple of months before you were born. By that time, Elizabeth and I were already discussing marriage.'

'Sarah tried to explain it to me, but of course, I wasn't hearing any of it. She mentioned something about her travelling with the Doctor and how that threw her for a loop and you were just there to help her pick up the pieces and start over.' Susan sighed. Sarcastically, she added, 'All I remember was that it made me seem like I was a product of such love.'

'Honestly, we were careless, but I did love Sarah. To some extent, I probably always will. We knew right away that we weren't right for each other on a permanent basis. She always needed to be independent and I always felt the need to protect her. From what, I'm not sure. Turns out I probably should have protected her from myself.'

'I don't want particulars here, Dad.'

'Sorry.'

~!~!~!~

The Mechguard reported to Likaria's throne room, as ordered. 'The trap has been sprung, my Leader.'

Likaria smiled. 'Excellent. Make sure the tracer chip is activated.'

'Already done, my Leader.' The Mechguard pulled out a report from a small tube attached to his arm. 'Here are the coordinates of the rebel camp.'

Likaria took the report. 'Dismissed.' As the Mechguard left, Likaria looked over the report. 'Lacond, my dear, are you so desperate for Cyryllium that you'll dig it out of the sand? It's screams trap, and yet you fall for it. I have you almost where I want you. The war will be over soon, and I will control the entire planet!'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor looked at the piece of Cyryllium. 'This was planted there, I hope you know.'

Lacond smiled. 'Of course it was.' She held it up to the light. 'See the tracking device planted in the base? The Quadrant put it there for us to find. But they don't realise that I know that it's there. I want them to think I'm weak, Doctor. I want them to think I'm tired. I want them to think all the things that are probably accurate about me but I refuse to believe for myself. We will win this war.' She called out. 'Sendka, I have a mission for you.'

Sendka came running quickly. 'Yes, General.'

Lacond pulled the chip off the Cyryllium. 'This Cyryllium was a trap for us. But we need to reset the trap and spring it on the Quadrant.' She pointed at a nearby Navipod. 'Take that Navipod and get rid of this. I don't care where and I don't care how, just as long as it's as far away from here as possible. Make it look like someplace we might have as a base. Maybe in one of the caves along the eastern mountain range. Move reasonably slowly, so it looks like we're moving camp, but then once you plant it, move quickly out. Make sure you're not followed.'

Sendka smiled, thankful for such a valued mission. 'I won't fail you, General.'

Lacond returned the smile and squeezed the girl's shoulder. 'I know you won't, Sendka.'

Once Sendka was gone, Lacond walked over to where Taketo was studying a map. 'How soon can we get everyone and get out of here?'

The Doctor watched the whole exchange. 'What about Sendka?'

Lacond sighed. 'Doctor, you quickly learn who you can trust and who you can't in this place. Sendka was just too eager for her own good. Her father was a member of the Chosen. Her uncle and brother were also members. She was sent here as a spy for them. When she returns, we'll be long gone. But so too will the tracking device that was meant to hunt us down. The Navipod was geared to break down 10 kilometres from here. That buys us some time.'

'I think you'd better explain to me exactly what is going on.'

'Sit down, Doctor. This could take a while.'


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor pulled Lacond to one side as they packed up equipment and Lacond started preparing for the camp move. 'Tell me exactly what is going on.'

'The war started after President Endig died. There was a power struggle over who would control the stores of Cyryllium. The Quadrant took control of the storehouses and started lauding it over all the people. Several of the main families aligned themselves with the Quadrant to guarantee their own quality of life. Pretty soon, the Quadrant was deciding who could and couldn't get the Cyryllium. Those who could get it became known as the Chosen. The few that remained aligned themselves and started fighting for the Cyryllium. Within several months, it was full out civil war. Some people didn't want to take sides, and they still haven't, but they live in the shadow of the Quadrant.'

'Where did the MechGuards come into it?'

'Somewhere along the line, people started disappearing. Then next thing we knew, the Quadrant had these super warriors that were equipped with cybernetic limbs and brain implants that made them impervious to emotion. It was almost like making Cybermen out of them, except they still considered themselves Trividians, just another form of it. They still knew who they were, and they weren't out to exterminate everyone that wasn't like them, only the resistance. They were programmed fighting machines. There were people that volunteered for the conversion, but then rumours started coming out about how bad and how painful the process actually was. And most people never really wanted to compromise their identity.'

'Was there any middle ground to the conversion?'

'The whole thing was done in steps. First thing was the cybernetic limbs. The last thing was the brain implant. Some people got as far as the cybernetic limbs and then tried to back out of the process. They disappeared. It's believed that they were killed, but no one really knows for sure. There are also rumours that people who are kidnapped or imprisoned by the MechGuards are then converted. If you ask a MechGuard, they won't tell you.'

'How does the Quadrant treat their prisoners?'

'Painfully. They're known for the torture that can be heard from outside the prisons. No one has ever come out of there alive.'

The Doctor quickly added, 'Except for you.'

'Except for me, yes.' Then Lacond realized what she'd said. 'How did you know?'

'Last time we saw each other, you didn't have cybernetic limbs.'

Lacond stared at the Doctor, trying to figure out how he knew about the limbs. Finally, she answered. 'I honestly don't know how I escaped. The morning after my limb implants, my cell wasn't guarded. I took the initiative and got out while I could. Granted, I didn't heal properly, but I think that's worked out in my favour in the long run.'

'How does the Quadrant give the orders to their Chosen warriors?'

'They have something called an Electorate Body that they get their orders from. Who composes that Electorate Body, or how they make their decisions is beyond me.'

~!~!~!~

Susan and Harry sat across camp and were packing up Navipod equipment.

'There are times when I wonder if either side here can ever win,' Susan admitted.

'Why do you say that?'

'Well, in almost two years, I don't see that anyone has made any progress. We've lost a lot of good people, Sarah included. Unfortunately, we haven't gained anything. Sure, we've gained some equipment knowledge, and we've been able to maintain, but how long do we fight? I sometimes wonder what we're fighting for – whether it's worth it or not.'

'Maybe the Doctor will have some idea. I've seen him in action before. Besides, he knows Lacond and knows more about the history of this planet than we do, even though you've been here a while.'

~!~!~!~

In the MechGuard prison, one of the prisoners could feel the telepathic influences and tried to block them out. It wasn't possible that they were real, but more torture from the Quadrant. Two MechGuards pulled the prisoner out of the cell and towards what could only be called an interrogation room. A MechGuard stood on either side of the prisoner and each pulled on one of the prisoner's arms. A voice echoed into the room, 'What can you tell me about the alien that is assisting Lacond?'

'What alien?' the prisoner responded. In response, the one of the MechGuards twisted the prisoner's arm until the shoulder popped out of place. The prisoner screamed.

'Do you wish to change your answer?' the voice asked.

The prisoner's head dropped in silence, breathing heavily from pain. One of the MechGuards reached out with his armoured glove and backhanded the prisoner, causing the facial skin to tear and bleed profusely.

'I have soldiers set out to kill the young human. She has become more than a nuisance to me.'

'Touch her and I'll kill you.' The prisoner spat at the voice.

'Your threats mean nothing. You are in no position to make them. But I am. Put her back in her cell, she's not going to share any information. Do whatever you want to her, but do not go so far as to kill her. There's still information stored in her mind. We will get it one way or the other.'

Sarah collapsed from pain and loss of blood. The MechGuards dragged her back to her cell by the arm that wasn't dislocated, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

~!~!~!~

The Doctor winced slightly, then looked around to see if anyone noticed. Turning to Lacond, he whispered, 'I have to get into the prisons.'

'Doctor, that's very dangerous.'

'That's why it needs to be done. I think the MechGuards can still be convinced.'

'Convinced of what? To change allegiances? That's highly unlikely.'

'Think about it, Lacond. They are being controlled by the Quadrant. You said that the chip that was implanted in them was merely a repression chip. So somewhere deep down, there is still something of their former selves in there.'

'Do you think you'll have some way of deactivating the chip?'

'I'm not sure yet, but I won't have any way of knowing until I can get up close and personal with the MechGuards. Besides, I have another reason.'

'And what is that, Doctor?'

'I wouldn't say anything to Susan or Harry, but Sarah is still alive. I can telepathically sense her.'

'Sarah is not a telepath, Doctor. Yes, all humans have some latent telepathy, but I did not see any evidence of anything more than that in Sarah during the time she was here.'

'You don't know her like I do. I can easily connect with her mind, even after all this time. The TARDIS is still connected to her as well, and amplifies Sarah's telepathic ability. Sarah was my best friend and I've not connected with another human on the same level – the signals I'm getting from her in response are weak and broken. She won't last much longer and I have to get her out of there.'

'For Susan's sake, I hope you are right, Doctor. The loss of Sarah has been a weight on Susan. Especially since they did not have the time to reconcile as Susan would have liked.'

'Reconcile? What do you mean?'

'Do you not know? Susan is actually Sarah's daughter. Apparently it was some large secret while Susan was being raised. I'm not sure of all the details. I haven't pried.'

'Hmmm,' the Doctor pondered. 'I wonder…'

'What?'

'Nothing. We need to get Sarah out of that prison, the sooner, the better.'

~!~!~!~

The screams echoed throughout the conversion chamber. For the recipient of the new limbs and electronic brain implants, the searing pain seemed unbearable. 'I will not forget,' TeArin promised aloud. 'You can't make me forget who I am and what I stand for.'

There was a laugh that resonated through the room. 'You have no choice in the matter. You were not smart enough, strong enough, important enough to remain in your position.'

'I will not help you willingly.'

'That's why I'm about to activate your brain chip. After this moment, your rebellion will simply fade like a shooting star.'

TeArin spat out, 'I can promise you that I will never forget this.'

Likaria laughed. 'Right, young TeArin. Too young, too immature. You have no idea what is getting ready to happen to you.'

The electronic buzzing indicated that the brain chip had been activated. TeArin's face contorted in a scream before going to a complete blank.

'Do you remember your name, young one?'

The response was instant and unswerving. 'Negative, Mistress.'

Likaria laughed.

~!~!~!~

Susan sat next to Mirsaj's bedside. Mirsaj was sitting up, holding Susan's hand. 'You look exhausted, Suz.'

'It's been an absolutely crazy ride. My dad and the Doctor are here.'

'Are they going to be able to help?'

'I have no idea. I don't know what's going on.' Susan rested her head in her free hand.

Mirsaj let go of Susan's hand and ran his fingers through her hair. 'Susan, when was the last time you slept?'

She looked Mirsaj in the eyes, 'You mean a full night?' He nodded in return. Susan turned away from him. 'The night before you were injured.'

Mirsaj sighed. 'I know this is not our bed, and I'm sorry for that.' He moved slightly to make room for her on the smaller cot. 'Come up here and rest for a bit.'

Susan climbed up beside Mirsaj. He wrapped his arms around her as best he could and smiled as Susan soon fell asleep.

~!~!~!~

Harry stood next to the Doctor. 'So, what's the plan, eh, Doctor?'

The Doctor looked over at Harry. 'I'm getting ready to go get up close and personal with the MechGuards.'

'I'm going to go with you.'

'Harry, it's not safe.'

'Doctor, nothing in this life is safe. Especially in this situation.'

'You just got reunited with your daughter, don't rush to be separated from her so quickly.'

Harry knew the Doctor was hiding something. 'What aren't you telling me, Doctor?'

The Doctor sighed. 'Harry, this is dangerous. I may be like Sarah and not come back. Do you want to leave your daughter behind?'

'If you don't come back, Susan and I are stranded here anyway.'

'I've set the TARDIS to take you home, in case that should that happen.'

'Forget it Doctor, you can't get rid of me that easily. I may still be an imbecile in your eyes, but I'm sticking close to you to find out exactly what is going on here on this crazy planet.'

The Doctor sighed, "Fine, Harry. You can come with me. We're going to be captured by the MechGuards and put in their prison.'

Harry did a double take. 'Pardon?'

'They're the solution to this, Harry. We're going to take a couple of Lacond's troops, but you and I need to get into that prison.'

Harry nodded, 'I need to tell Susan what we're doing.'

'Harry, for her own sake, don't tell her anything more than she needs to know. As far as she's concerned, while the rest of the group moves camp, we're going out to investigate the Cyryllium mines and determine our next course of action.'


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor looked over at Lacond. 'I'm going to confront the MechGuards.'

'That a bad idea, Doctor. You don't know the MechGuards like I do. They cannot be reasoned with.'

'Lacond, there's something deeper going on here. None of this conversion scheme makes any sense. Why would the Chosen live just as poor a life as you do? What are they gaining, other than a protected status? This Electorate Body, how does it all connect? We're never going to get those answers if we can't at least get through to the MechGuards.'

'Doctor, if you're just going in there just to get Sarah, then I have to caution you against it. It's not going to work.'

The Doctor glared at Lacond. 'You wanted me to help you, so let me help you and don't question my way of doing it. The Mechguards are going to be your element that is going to give you the victory over the Quadrant. Either you want that, or you don't. You are going to have to trust me.'

Lacond sighed. 'Fine, Doctor. This is all on your own head.'

~!~!~!~

Harry went into the med-tent and saw Susan curled up against Mirsaj napping. He cleared his throat, gently. 'The Doctor and I are going to investigate the Cyryllium mine.'

Susan sat up groggily, 'What do you mean you're investigating the Cyryllium mines? Why? We know that they're currently surrounded by two Mechguard units at all times. What else do you need to know?'

'The Doctor has a lot of questions. He has to see them to get those questions answered.'

Susan stood up. 'I know that area better than most. I'll take you there and show you around.'

'No Susan, you're going to help Lacond get the camp moved. She needs to get everything wrapped up quickly. You'll be of better use to her here.'

Susan nodded. 'I understand.' She hugged Harry. 'Please be careful, Dad. These Mechguards are unmerciful. If they catch you, I don't even want to imagine what would happen.'

'Don't worry Sue. I can take care of myself, and so can the Doctor. I'll meet you at the new camp before you even know that we're gone.'

Mirsaj watched the exchanged and caught Harry's gaze. Mirsaj shook his head slightly and glared, indicating to Harry that he knew that he was keeping something from Susan.

Harry continued to watch Mirsaj and when he was sure he had his attention, he mouthed the words, 'Look after Susan,' over her shoulder.

Mirsaj nodded in understanding.

~!~!~!~

The Mechguard formerly known as TeArin walked through the jail. Turning his head slightly, he focused his attention on the cell with a surviving occupant. 'You are not Trividian. Why are you here?'

The prisoner looked up at him. 'Why should I answer you?'

'Why were you helping the resistance?'

'I'm not telling you anything.'

Likaria's voice resonated through a speaker in the Mechguard's armour, but echoed through the cell. 'I understand the other human helping the resistance is a relative of yours. How much do humans value their relations? I will bring the young human here. If you don't tell me the information I want, I will do much worse to her than I've already done to you.'

Sarah threw herself towards the bars and TeArin, 'Touch her and I will kill you.'

Likaria laughed, 'You have no power to do anything. You can't even get out of that cell.' As TeArin walked away, Likaria's laugh remained, torturing Sarah even more than her words could.

~!~!~!~

Mijaco rallied his troops together. Standing at the top of a small hill, he was able to look out over the assembly. 'Today, we just received a piece of information that we fell should enable us to swing a death blow to the resistance and hopefully end this war once and for all.' He noticed that the troops didn't seem convinced. Steeling himself, he added the remainder of knowledge he'd been given. 'The Quadrant has taken control of the last known source of Cyryllium. With that final piece of control, the resistance cannot continue to power their weapons. We've also nailed down the location of Lacond's camp. At dawn, we will sneak in and destroy the resistance.'

Netran piped up. 'Is this an order from the Quadrant, or ramblings similar to what your now banished son dared to vocalize?'

Mijaco frowned. 'This is an order from the Electorate Body itself. This is an authorized battle, and one we are almost guaranteed to win.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor spoke quietly to Harry, as they observed the Mechguard units standing near the Cyryllium mine. 'Just follow my lead.'

Turning to Edner, the resistance fighter that had previously taken them to Lacond, the Doctor leaned in and whispered. 'Harry and I are going to work our way around to the other side of the mine. Harry is going to try to create a diversion, and then I can sneak in. You and Mexlan stay here and out of the way. Lacond knew this was going to be dangerous and I promised her that nothing would happen to you. If something were to happy to us, you need to get back to the new camp and inform Lacond. She'll know what to do at that point. This should be a fairly easy in and out, I only need to see in the mine briefly.'

Edner nodded and primed his weapon as the Doctor and Harry began the zig zag across the landscape down towards the mine. As Edner watched, Harry jumped out and got the Mechguards' attention. One guard went after Harry, and the Doctor attempted to circle around behind him. Just as the Doctor reached the mine, one of the other guards wheeled around and grabbed him. Edner could see that the Doctor was talking, but couldn't make out the words. The other guard that went after Harry came back, pushing Harry in front of him. Edner looked over at Mexlan and just shook his head, sadly.

Mexlan frowned. 'Now what?'

'We do what the Doctor said, we get back to Lacond.'

~!~!~!~

Likaria observed the situation at the Cyryllium mine and smiled as she watched Mechguards capture the Doctor and Harry. 'The new aliens are in my control. This war ends soon.'


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Weimlady - this one's for you! :-) The boys to the rescue!

~!~!~!~

The Mechguard gaoler ushered the Doctor and Harry into the detention area. The stench of death permeated the air. The Doctor looked around, anger building inside him. 'Is this where you bring all of your captured prisoners?'

The nameless Mechguard ignored him.

'It's sick, Doctor,' Harry said disgustedly.

The Mechguard pointed to two of the cages. 'You'll be kept here until further notice.' He pushed Harry and the Doctor into separate cells, locked the doors and walked away without another word.

Harry watched the Doctor go over to a pile of blankets in the corner. The Doctor pulled back the blankets and stared at the decomposing body buried underneath them. The stench washed over him and he quickly replaced the blankets. 'General Endri, I presume,' the Doctor frowned. Harry could see the barely contained rage in the Doctor's expression.

'He's been dead for weeks,' a soft voice from Harry's cage told them.

Harry and the Doctor both instantly recognized the voice. Harry quickly turned around towards the voice. A figure, completely covered from head to toe with a blanket, moved slightly, curling into a ball on the floor. Harry moved in the direction of the voice, around a second pile of blankets covering what he could only assume was another body. 'Sarah?' he asked softly.

'I'll be next, I suppose,' she whispered despairingly.

The Doctor closed his eyes and began to concentrate as Harry knelt beside her. 'Sarah, ol' girl. It's me, Harry.'

She knew her ears were deceiving her. 'Right. Nice try.' Her body began to shake with silent sobs. 'How many times do I have to keep imagining this?'

'Listen, Sarah, the Doctor and I are both here, we're real, and we're going to get you out of here.' When Harry reached down and barely touched her, she flinched. Harry threw the Doctor an anguished look. 'What have these monsters done to her?'

Harry reached down and pulled the blanket away from Sarah's face. He couldn't stop himself from gasping when he saw her. Her hair clung to her face, matted with a mix of dirt and blood. Her right eye was completely swollen shut and her whole face was covered in cuts and bruises. Dried blood caked around her left cheekbone where a mechanical fist had split the delicate skin. He could also see the shoulder joint grotesquely out of place. Harry was instantly furious and more determined than ever. 'We have to get her out of here.'

Harry began to look around the cell for anything that might help them escape. The floor was dark and gritty, made up of tiny rocks that seemed about six steps removed from sand. A ray of light glinted off a metal object almost buried in the dirt. Harry bent down and picked up the fragile object, recognising it immediately.

Opening his eyes, the Doctor looked first at Sarah, then at Harry. 'What's that you've found?'

Harry draped the necklace across his palm so that the pendant rested in the middle of his hand. He brushed away the loose dirt from the pendant with the index finger of his free hand. 'Sarah's necklace,' he said without looking up.

'How do you know it's Sarah's?'

Harry held it out for the Doctor to see. 'Because I gave it to her.'

The Doctor looked at the pendant and smiled. 'It's shaped like the TARDIS. No wonder they're still connected.'

Harry ignored the Doctor's odd comment. 'The jeweller thought I was crazy when I told him I wanted a pendant shaped like a police box. I got it for her not long after she stopped travelling with you. She told me once that it helped her to remember.' Harry pondered the necklace for another minute. 'I didn't know she still wore it,' he added softly. He finally tucked the necklace into his pocket for safekeeping. Once he was able to get out of the cell and get the clasp fixed, he would give it back to Sarah.

Harry noticed as Sarah started to move again. He was kneeling at her side in an instant. She pulled herself slowly up into a sitting position and stared at Harry. Harry sat down on the floor beside her and looked at her, waiting for her to make the next move.

Sarah continued to watch Harry, as if she expected him to disappear. After several minutes, she found her voice. 'Is it really you?'

Harry heard a bit of the old Sarah in that one question and smiled. 'Of course, it's me, my girl.'

Sarah reached up with her good arm and tentatively touched the side of his face. Harry could feel where her hands had been cut, the flesh torn away, but said nothing. Even in the poor lighting of the jail, he could see where her arms had been burned. His heart was aching and he wanted to destroy the monsters that had done this to her. He noticed the Doctor watching intently, but he refused to take his gaze away from Sarah and locked eyes with her.

Sarah ran her fingers along the edges of his hair, feeling the greying, but still soft, wavy locks. Her eyes stayed fixed on his as she traced the edges of his square jaw, then reached for his neck, feeling his pulse. She leaned in towards him and put her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Harry noticed that Sarah had stopped moving. In fact, it seemed as though she were barely breathing. 'Sarah?' he asked softly.

She pulled back and looked intently at his eyes. 'You're Harry,' she said. Harry assumed she must still be trying to convince herself, so he just smiled at her and nodded. He was caught off guard when Sarah reached out and hugged him tightly, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and holding on for dear life. Cautiously, he put his arms around her, being careful not to hurt her any further.

The Doctor watched the scene unfold with more than just a little guilt. 'How is she, Harry?'

Harry glanced over Sarah's head at the Doctor. 'Physically? I don't think anything's actually broken, going by her movements, but her shoulder is definitely dislocated. It's hard to tell what kind internal injuries she might have. Her arms look pretty severely burned and that's just what we can see. Considering how long she's been in this hell hole, who knows what's happened to her previously.'

The Doctor went ahead and mentioned what Harry was avoiding. 'What about mentally?'

Sarah whirled around and glared at the Doctor. 'I'm not deaf, Doctor, and I'm just fine, no thanks to you! I've felt you playing around in my mind for some time now. What do you want from me?' she shouted. Just as suddenly she turned back to Harry and buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.

Harry instinctively tightened his grip around her, looked at the Doctor and gently shrugged. He slowly rocked her gently back and forth, whispering soothingly to her.

~!~!~!~

Edner and Mexlan came running back to the camp alone. Susan was keeping watch and looked around, waiting, knowing that her father and the Doctor should be there. She waited and watched, but no one else came over the ridge.

Lacond walked up and put her hand on Susan's shoulder. 'This doesn't look good, I'm afraid.'

'I need to wait and see what Edner says.'

Edner saw Lacond and ran towards her. 'I'm sorry, sir. There was nothing I could do.'

'What happened?'

'They were surround by Mechguards. The Doctor tried to break through the barrier, but they came along from the back and grabbed both the Doctor and Harry. There was nothing we could do. They're gone.'

Susan's head dropped, and she slowly walked away. Lacond followed her, a discreet distance behind. Susan noticed and waited for Lacond to catch up. They walked in silence for a while before Lacond spoke.

'I'm so sorry, Susan.'

'This really is my own fault.'

'You can't blame yourself for any of this. This is my war. I pulled you into it.'

'If I hadn't been a stupid teenager and gotten pissed off at my parents, they'd both still be alive! We would've found a way to get through the lies, get through the pain, but they'd be alive. At least they loved me, I can honestly say that.' She broke down and began to sob.

Lacond let her walk away, knowing that the Doctor and Harry had voluntarily walked right into their deaths.


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor stared straight ahead, watching the Mechguard that was placed in charge of guarding their cells.

In the next cell, Sarah stood up and followed the Doctor's gaze, then looked back at Harry, who was sitting on the only bench in the cell, never taking his eyes off of Sarah.

'Sarah, I hate to mention it, but…'

She cut him off. 'Harry, I need you to reduce my shoulder.'

Harry stood up and was at her side in an instant. 'I was going to suggest the same thing, but just know that it will be really painful, old girl.'

Sarah rolled her eyes. 'Harry, for me, pain at this point is relative, and right now, I'm in more pain with it out of place than I would be with you popping it back in. It's been popped out and back so many times since I've been in this place, I would imagine it'll be a lot easier than you think.'

'As long as you're sure, Sarah.'

'I need to be as ready as I can be, if we have to fight.'

The Doctor finally turned to look at her. 'Are you ready to fight, Sarah Jane?'

Sarah didn't answer the Doctor, but instead looked from him back to Harry. 'Now, please, Harry?'

Without another word, Harry motioned for Sarah lie down on the ground and take a few deep breaths to relax. As he knelt beside her, he took her arm in his hands and guided it around until he felt the familiar pop. Both the Doctor and Harry noticed that she didn't even flinch as the shoulder popped back into place. They locked eyes for a moment before the Doctor went back to staring at the Mechguard.

Sarah stood up slowly and began to pace up and down the short length of the cell. 'Harry, please tell me that Susan is ok.'

Harry smiled. 'Yes, she's fine. Actually, she's amazing, I can't believe the difference in her. She just exudes confidence.'

'Fighting in a war isn't the way to do that.'

'No, it isn't. But how much did you learn fighting and battling while you were travelling with the Doctor.'

'Yes, but I was older, I knew more about the world.'

'Doesn't matter, it's the same general principle.'

Sarah sighed. 'I suppose so. I hate that she had to do it this way.'

'Sarah, ol' girl, she thinks you're dead.'

Sarah stopped and faced Harry. 'If she knows you were captured by the Mechguards, she thinks we're both dead.' She started pacing again. With each step, she began to favour her right leg.

Harry watched her, but said nothing until she nearly tripped. He walked over to where she was leaning against the cell wall. 'What happened to your knee?'

She turned around, looked at Harry and shrugged. 'It acts up every now and again.' Her trousers were shredded between her knee and her ankle. She moved away the material and let Harry catch a glimpse of her knee. It was about three times the normal size and was purple. He could also see scar tissue, where the skin seemed to have been shredded in a similar pattern to the material of Sarah's trousers.

Trying to figuratively get his eyes to return to their sockets, he asked, 'What happened?'

'Closest explanation would be to say it was a bear trap.' Sarah held up her hands and interlaced her fingers to mimic a trap closing together. 'Except there are no bears on Trivid. It was what they caught me with.'

The Doctor spoke up. 'I still think our best solution is the Mechguards.'

Sarah limped over to stand in front of him, only the bars of their cells separating them. 'The Mechguards? Are you crazy?'

He smiled at her. 'No more than ever before.' He could see the distrust in her eyes, and knew that he needed to build that trust back up again.

Harry joined them. 'The Mechguards are cold hearted machines. Look at what they've done to Sarah.'

The Doctor looked away from Sarah to Harry. 'They're not machines, Harry, they never were. They're Trividians, they've just been slightly altered.'

'Altered?' Sarah half questioned, half exclaimed. 'Slightly? They've got no conscience.'

'What about the cybernetic limbs?' Harry asked.

'Augmentation. Part of the conversion process. Early on in the process, according to Lacond. Her limbs were added before the final procedure.'

'That final procedure. It's like a sort of brain drain, you mean?'

'That's a very elementary way of putting it, Harry, but something along those lines.'

'Can they do this to anyone?' Harry asked.

The Doctor looked back over at Sarah. 'Yes. Anyone.'

Harry looked from the Doctor to Sarah and back again. His tone was defensive. 'What are you looking at Sarah for?'

The Doctor ignored Harry. 'Sarah, you've seen the Mechguards up close for a while now. Have you noticed what could be perceived as a sign of weakness?'

'No, nothing. It's as bad as the Cybermen!'

'And that's why they seem so cold hearted, but deep down, they're not emotionally deprived, like the Cybermen. Trividians get angry, that's why they fight, but why?'

Sarah added. 'They only speak when ordered to and only say what they're ordered to say. Although, there are times where there's another voice, and it has emotion, all malevolent.' She shivered uncontrollably just thinking about the voice that haunted even her waking moments.

'Speaking when ordered to…Like children used to be taught?' Harry offered. 'The old speak only when spoken to theory?'

The Doctor brushed it off. 'Don't be obtuse, Harry.' Then he paused. 'Unless…' He began to pace in his own cell. 'Brain control. Augmented limbs. Computers. Computers. There has to be a computer bank. So who are the Quadrant and the Electorate Body and who's controlling the programming?'

~!~!~!~

Lacond looked around as her troops began to set up the new camp. Absent from the hustle and bustle of getting the new tents set up and equipment organized was Susan. Lacond frowned and began to look around for either Taketo or Mirsaj. She knew Susan wouldn't be far away from them.

Walking outside of the general area of camp, Lacond headed over towards a secluded area. Susan sat on one of the rocks with her head in her hands. Lacond walked over and placed a hand gently on Susan's shoulder.

Susan didn't even lift her head. Even though her voice was mumbled, Lacond understood every word as she spoke. 'Lacond, would you hate me if I said that right about now, I wish I were a Mechguard? I'd give anything to not have emotions at the moment.'

Lacond sat down on the rock next to Susan. 'I know exactly how you feel.' She inhaled deeply before continuing. 'There's something I haven't told you, Susan. Something I haven't told many people.'

Susan looked up, revealing bloodshot and puffy eyes, but said nothing and didn't make eye contact with Lacond.

'When the war first started, I was forced to choose sides. I, like many others, began to have to choose between family and my principles. My mother chose a separate side than I did. She was one of the first casualties of the war. I did not know my father, so Mijaco was a father figure to me. Now he leads the Chosen. I may not know exactly how you're feeling, Susan, but I do have some idea.'

Susan finally looked over at Lacond. 'I had no idea.'

'Most of the troops don't know. It is not necessary. I do not want anyone fighting for me out of pity, but because they want to fight for the same thing I am fighting for. Taketo knows, because she is my mother's sister.'

'And Mirsaj? Is he related to you as well?'

'He is my brother, but he doesn't know it. He was very young when our mother was killed.'

Susan gave her a confused look. 'Why would you not tell him that he has family, a sister and an aunt? Certainly that would give him a sense of belonging. He thinks he's an orphan and feels disconnected. He will always fight for you, and he believes in the cause, but he has no sense of being cared for by anyone.'

'You care for him, Susan, as he cares for you. Beyond that, it is dangerous to have family attachments here. As both of us can now attest to.'


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Why has Sarah been a bit frosty to the Doctor? Part comes out here, more is to come later. Thanks to those that are reading/reviewing!

~!~!~!~

The Doctor pulled a couple pieces of equipment out of his jacket pocket and began to jumble them together. In the next cell, Sarah looked over from Harry, who was napping on the cell bench, back to the Doctor. She walked over and put her hands on the bars of the cell separating them. 'You knew, didn't you?' she asked.

Without really acknowledging her, he asked. 'Knew what, Sarah Jane?'

'Doctor, look at me. Please. I need to see your eyes.'

The Doctor very carefully put his pile down and walked over to where Sarah was standing. He reached out and put his hands over Sarah's and looked into her eyes. He couldn't help but notice her flinch as he touched her. 'What are you asking me, Sarah?'

Sarah looked down at their hands, and then back up into his eyes. 'You knew from the moment you landed where I was.'

That wasn't the question he was expecting. Instantly, he changed his train of thought. 'I knew you were in trouble, I didn't know where. It wasn't until your daughter mentioned that you had been presumed killed that I was able to narrow down that you might be imprisoned and where.'

Sarah closed her eyes and the anguish in her voice was evident. 'I thought it was them. Trying to trick me. They've thrown everything they could at me. I don't know how much longer I can last in here.'

The Doctor took one of his hands and reached through the bars to gently touch Sarah's cheek, being very careful to avoid her injuries. 'I'm so sorry, Sarah. I had to know if you were alive. The thought of you possibly being dead, I couldn't even fathom it. I promise you, Sarah, we will get out of here.'

'How?'

The Doctor quickly walked back to his jumbled pile, but whispered back to Sarah. 'See that guard in the corner of there?'

'Yes, he's been here for several months. Always the same one.'

'I recognize him.'

'Again Doctor, how?'

'From the last time we were here.' He continued assembling bits together as he pulled the out of his pocket. 'While it was unexpected that Lacond landed near you when she transported off planet, it was not unsurprising.' He never looked up from his pile.

Sarah frowned, wracking her brain for any memory of having been to Trivid during her travels with the Doctor. 'Doctor?'

Before she could ask anymore, the Doctor quickly stood up and walked back towards where Sarah stood at the bars. He smiled enigmatically. 'I'll explain later. Watch this.'

~!~!~!~

Susan stood over a pile of broken weaponry and frowned. Sitting down, she began to pick up the various pieces, mentally catalogue them, and then see which pieces she could repair. She heard someone walking up behind her with a limp, and naturally assumed it was Lacond. As she glanced back, she saw Mirsaj coming up behind her, supporting himself by using a cane very similar to Lacond's. She jumped back up and ran over to him, but didn't reach out for him, just in case she might knock him off balance. 'What are you doing out of bed?'

'I came looking for you, Sue.' He reached out and wrapped her in his arms. 'Taketo told me about your father and the Doctor.'

She buried her head in his neck, refusing to acknowledge his statement about her father. 'I'm so glad to see you out of bed, I was so worried.'

He noticed her change of subjects. Pulling back from her, he looked deeply into her eyes. 'Don't worry, Sue, I'm not going anywhere.' He looked from her to the pile on the ground and back. 'What's that you're working on?'

She looked back at the pile. 'I'm still trying to piece back together pieces we captured from the MechGuards after the battle in Kithra.'

'How does it look?'

Susan shrugged. 'I sorted some of it out before we moved camp. I've not really been able to concentrate since we got set up here.' Mirsaj wrapped his arms around her again, closed his eyes and began to concentrate, sending thoughts towards Susan. She closed her eyes in response and began to breathe slowly and deeply. After a few minutes, she sighed, a genuine smile on her face for the first time in a while. 'Oh, gosh, I've missed this. Missed us. Missed you.'

Susan began to concentrate back towards him, and a smile slowly spread across his features as well. 'Is there an Earth expression that can sum any of this up?'

'Absence makes the heart grow fonder?' she offered.

Mirsaj sighed. 'Perhaps. Our closest equivalent would be that we miss our lovers more when we're not with them all the time.' He looked into Susan's eyes. 'Susan, you've lost a lot during this war, and if you are never able to return home, I want you to know that you have a home here on Trivid, with me. If you want it.'

~!~!~!~

General Mijaco and his troops cornered the area where their information told them the rebel base was located. The troops waiting for Mijaco's signal. Silently, he motioned for them to attack. As they ran towards the base, they were suddenly struck with the realisation that there was nothing there.

'We've been led astray!' Mijaco declared. 'Who brought us the information on this base? They shall be put to death for treason!'

~!~!~!~

Likaria watched the anticlimactic lack of a battle and slammed her hand down on the counter in front of her video screen. 'She will pay for this!' She quickly walked into the room containing the computer equipment and plugged herself into the terminal, locking her arms into the sockets. 'Voice recognition activate,' she said aloud.

~!~!~!~


	13. Chapter 13

The Mechguard came over to the cell in response to the Doctor's call. 'I have no name anymore, why do you insist on trying to call me by a name?'

The Doctor's voice was almost hypnotic. 'I know your name. You are not just some nameless robot. Your name is TeArin, and somewhere, deep down inside, you still are.'

'How do you know my name?' he asked.

'I remember you when you were just a little boy.'

The gears literally whirred inside his head. 'Impossible. That time has been wiped from my memory banks. It was a time before the purification. A time before the advancement.'

'Do you believe in the advancements? Do you really think you are superior now? And why do you still remember your past name? Why do you fight for the Quadrant?'

'Those who are valuable will be improved upon. Mistress Likaria will soon bring a quick end to this war.'

The Doctor frowned. 'Likaria. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long, long time.'

'Mistress Likaria will prevail and destroy the resistance movement piece by piece, including the rebel Lacond. She who refused the advancements, denied their power. She will be destroyed by those she feels superior towards.'

'Interesting.'

Harry walked over to Sarah and they stood watching the whole conversation. Finally, Harry said, 'What's so interesting about it, Doctor? We've known what the goal of the Quadrant was for quite some time.'

The Doctor turned to Harry and Sarah. 'If my guess is correct, Likaria is the same woman I met last time I was here. She and Taketo are sisters. Lacond is her daughter.'

'Why would Likaria want to destroy her own daughter?' Harry asked.

Closing the gap between himself and the other cell, the Doctor whispered. 'There's a lot more to it than that, I fear. Cover your ears.' He went back to his pile and pressed a small button on the side.

A high pitched squeal echoed through the chamber and the Mechguard hit the floor.

~!~!~!~

Lacond walked up to where Taketo, Mirsaj and Susan were sitting around a small flat rock they'd turned into a meal table. As the three looked up and gave her an expectant look, she smiled. 'They fell for it.'

Taketo frowned. 'This time was too close, Lacond. Sending the child out and abandoning her, just so we could continue to fight. Maybe we would've been better off if we'd had one last grand battle against the Chosen and finally decided the fate of this war once and for all.'

Susan and Mirsaj looked at each other, and both stood up. 'This is a conversation you two need to have without us.' Susan offered. 'Mirsaj and I will leave you to it.' With that, before either Lacond or Taketo could say anything, they walked away.

Lacond was silent until after Susan and Mirsaj were out of earshot. 'Sendka was a spy for the Quadrant. If I thought there was any way to break that conditioning, I would've done it. Do you think I'm really capable of abandoning someone? I would not give up on one person, much less our planet.'

'Do you think I am, Lacond? Would allowing the Quadrant to rule us be that bad a solution?'

Lacond sank into one of the empty seats facing Taketo. 'I am sure the Doctor can help.'

'Maybe he could have, but now he's gone as well.'

'Taketo, he went by choice. He has a plan. He thinks that the Mechguards can be convinced to join the rebellion.'

Taketo frowned. 'That is the most foolhardy suggestion I've heard since this war started. How could he possibly think that he could change the Mechguards. They're controlled by a computer chip that's controlled by the Quadrant. There's nothing left to change.'

Lacond looked grim. 'I respect your authority, Taketo, both in age, and because you're a relative. I want to give the Doctor a chance.'

'Give him three more days. If he's not back by then, you need to consider the final consequences.'

'I will take your opinion under advisement.'

~!~!~!~

Concern was written all over Mirsaj's face as he and Susan walked across their new camp. 'What do you think is going on between Taketo and Lacond?' Mirsaj asked.

Susan looked over at him. 'I've not been able to put my finger on it, but Lacond has been different ever since the Doctor arrived.'

'Sue, before you arrived here, Lacond and Taketo both put a lot of stake in the Doctor's arrival. We've been only holding our own for years now and thought that since he'd been here before, he might have some grand idea of what we could do to finally tip the balance in our favour.'

Susan sighed. 'And then he goes and gets himself captured. So much for a grand plan.' Thinking about the other statement Mirsaj made, she added, 'Was he here after the war started, or before?'

'Before, as I understand it. It was when I was very young, so I don't remember personally. As the story goes, he and one of his companions visited here for a holiday, but he sensed unease in the atmosphere. Saying it pertained to his future, he quickly ushered away his companion, leaving Taketo with the transport device to be used in the event of an emergency.' Mirsaj paused for a minute, thinking. 'Sue, I don't remember the story exactly, but there's something at the back of my mind. I want to think that Sarah was the Doctor's companion at the time of his visit.'

Susan gave him a confused look. 'If that's true, she certainly never mentioned it. You would think she would have at some point. Although, she didn't bat an eye about joining the war effort, so I wonder if she remembered and just didn't want to say anything. We didn't exactly talk a lot about her time with the Doctor, as far as specifics on places they went.'

'I suppose anything is possible. You might think that if she'd been here, that there might have been some relevancy to talk about it, unless she was afraid it might upset the timelines somehow. I would think that anyone that travelled with the Doctor would be careful of upsetting things.'

After a minute, Susan frowned. 'The more I learn about Sarah, the less I know her. There was certainly more to her than I ever gave her credit for. If circumstances were different, I might have really enjoyed having her as a mother.'

Mirsaj reached out and gently squeezed Susan's hand, but said nothing.

~!~!~!~

Likaria slumped suddenly in the terminal before quickly disconnecting herself. Trying to clear the ringing from her head, she staggered towards the video screen. As she tried to bring up the images, she slammed her hand down on the table, but was unsurprised that the prison monitors were unresponsive.

~!~!~!~


	14. Chapter 14

TeArin pulled himself up off the floor, and glared at the Doctor. 'What did you do?'

The Doctor looked back at Sarah and Harry and smiled before turning back to TeArin. 'Just a little repression therapy. TeArin, do you know why you're here?'

TeArin looked down at his arms and legs, paying special attention to the replacement hand he'd been given, and stared at it as he wiggled his fingers. 'I remember losing my hand in battle with Lacond. I should have killed her when I had the chance.' All the anger was out of his voice, his words coming in monotone.

'TeArin, why do you fight against Lacond and her resistance?'

'Because they are the enemy.'

'But why?'

'Because…' He stopped as he thought about the answer. 'Because that's what the Quadrant ordered us to do.'

'And you never questioned it?'

'No.'

'Lacond questioned the Quadrant, and in doing that, automatically became their enemy.'

'Yes.'

The Doctor continued. 'You questioned the Quadrant at some point, or you would not have been processed.'

TeArin hung his head. 'That is true.'

'Does that seem fair to you?'

'Yes. No. Yes.' TeArin paused between each change, trying to decide which he truly believed. 'No, it was not.'

'So you and Lacond are now no different in your disagreement.' The Doctor continued without waiting for TeArin's reply. 'Instead of fighting on opposite sides, you should join her. The Mechguards have all disagreed with the Quadrant, and rather than allow you to defect and join the rebels, the Quadrant suppressed all your emotions and forced you to fight for them. They took away your free will and choice.'

TeArin's eyes blazed as he stood just in front of the Doctor. 'The thought of joining the resistance disgusts me, yet you make sense. If we do not agree with the Quadrant, we should be presenting an allied front.'

'Can you convince the other Mechguards of this?'

'It is possible.' A thought occurred to TeArin. 'Would Lacond accept us, or would we be walking into enemy territory.'

'I can promise you this, TeArin, I have already spoken to Lacond, but she believes we are dead. If you were to let me and my friends leave, we could alert Lacond to your arrival.'

After thinking for a brief moment, TeArin quickly unlocked both cells. 'Leave quickly, if another Mechguard finds you before I can talk to them, you will be killed immediately.'

Sarah, Harry and the Doctor quickly left their cells without saying a word. The Doctor thanked TeArin and they silently went their separate ways.

~!~!~!~

Likaria sat in the small conference room, staring at the other three members of the Quadrant. Andrun, the oldest member, couldn't hide his disgust. 'How, with all the security in our prisons were the three aliens able to escape? Likaria, this is unacceptable!'

She barely suppressed her frown. 'There was a massive systems failure at the moment of their escape, but their cells were never left unguarded.'

Garnd, the military coordinator drew his own conclusions. 'The Mechguards in the prisons were the ones that most recently went through the conversion process. Is it possible that the final processing was not effective?'

'Impossible, I tested them all myself,' Likaria defended.

Zendri glared at the others. 'It's obvious to me that we have either a spy, or a problem with the processing. There is no technology that should break the Electorate Body conditioning, and yet something caused those systems to fail.'

Likaria looked around the room. 'I'm in the process of running a full systems diagnostic on all the Electorate Body now.'

'Were your systems affected, Likaria?' Zendri asked.

'Yes.'

'How long did the disruption last?'

'No more than 20 microbits. Once the disruption ended, however, the video screens in the prison were still down for another 500 microbits. Once we were able to restore the video, the three aliens had disappeared, and the Mechguards were just returning to service.'

Garnd frowned. 'So none of the Mechguards have any knowledge of how they escaped.'

Likaria shook her head. 'None. I went down to the jail myself and could find no evidence of how they escaped.'

Garnd stood up. 'I will go examine the jail for myself. We need an answer to this before we proceed further.'

~!~!~!~

Sarah, Harry and the Doctor made their way carefully from the jails across the valley towards the cliffs on one of the nearby mountain ridges. Sarah staggered slightly and finally stopped walking. 'I can't go on much further, I'm afraid,' Sarah mumbled.

Harry couldn't help but notice how their progress across the valley had slowed considerably in the last half an hour. He reached out and gently took Sarah's hand. 'Just a bit more, and we'll stop for the night.'

The Doctor looked around and motioned towards a nearby cave situated up on the ridge closest to them. 'That looks like a good, safe place to rest.' Sarah looked up in the direction the Doctor was pointing, but before she could say anything, he finished her thought. 'Your vertigo, I know. Harry and I will help you.'

Harry held onto one of Sarah's hands and the Doctor helped them along as they crawled up the ridge. As soon as they got into the cave, Sarah promptly sagged against the wall, exhausted. The Doctor turned and looked at Harry. 'We'll stay here for the night, but we'll want to get an early start in the morning. We have to get to Lacond's camp before TeArin and his Mechguards arrive. I have to convince Lacond that working with the Mechguards is the best solution to end this war.'

'Are you going to tell Lacond that the Quadrant leader is her mother?' Harry asked.

'I haven't decided.'

'And we thought TeArin would be the tough sell.' Harry stated.

The Doctor stood at the mouth of the cave and looked out over the valley. 'Perhaps.'

'I don't think I can do this any more,' Sarah said softly, from where she'd taken up a reclining position against the cave wall.

Harry walked over and sat down next to her. 'Of course you can. We'll be in what passes for civilisation around here tomorrow and you can get some proper rest. We'll get those cuts and bruises of yours all fixed up and you'll soon be right as rain.' He smiled and patted her hand gently.

'I mean, I don't think I can face them.'

'Them who? And why not?'

'Lacond and the rest of the troops. And Susan. I failed. I failed them all,' she admitted as tears once again came to her eyes.

Harry reached out and put both arms around her protectively, pulling her towards him so she was leaning against him instead of the cave wall. 'You survived a horrible ordeal, and we'll get through this. You're not a failure, Sarah. You never were.' He very gently kissed the top of her head.

The Doctor watched the two of them together for a while and listened as Harry mumbled soft, soothing words to Sarah, promising a long, relaxing vacation when all this was over. 'Why didn't you tell me Susan is your daughter?'

'Of course she is Doctor, you already knew that,' Harry said softly.

'No, Harry. Susan is your daughter.' He gestured to both Sarah and Harry. 'Yours and Sarah's. Together.'

Harry looked down at Sarah. Her eyes met his and she nodded almost imperceptibly. Together, they softly replied. 'When you showed up, I only had just found out that Susan knew. It was not something we broadcast.'

'Why the story about Elizabeth and how Sarah was Susan's godmother?'

Sarah hung her head shamefully. She spoke softly, her voice broken and humbled. 'It's true, all of it's true. I gave up my daughter just so I wouldn't be inconvenienced. So my career wouldn't be hampered any more than it already had been by disappearing with you for so many years. Susan is right. I am a truly horrible excuse for a mother, for a person.'

Harry leaned his head down next to Sarah's ear and whispered so hopefully only she would hear. 'You've been a wonderful mother to Susan, whether she realises it or not. And you're my best friend. I love you for who you are and wouldn't want you to change for a moment. Don't ever doubt that, you hear me, Sarah?' Sarah only nodded, but Harry felt her body relax in his arms.

The Doctor turned back to the mouth of the cave, pretending not to have heard Harry's last words. Silently, he mouthed, 'This is all my fault.'

~!~!~!~


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, the Doctor rose quickly and glanced at his companions. Harry was sleeping propped up against a wall of the cave, his head tilted slightly to one side. Sarah had curled up into a ball with her head in Harry's lap. Harry had an arm draped protectively across her shoulder.

The Doctor walked towards the cave entrance. Looking out over the valley, he whispered. 'I did what I had to. I did what I needed to do to protect the historical future of this planet.'

By this point, Sarah had woken up and was standing beside him. He looked at her in surprise, then looked back at the still sleeping Harry. 'I don't sleep much, these days,' she admitted. 'Now, tell me what's going on. You know more than you're admitting.'

'I'm watching things happen on this planet. I know what the future holds for some of the players, but I don't know how they will get there. I also know that this planet's future ties intrinsically to my past.' He turned and looked at Sarah. 'And to our past, Sarah Jane.'

'What do you mean? What does any of this have to do with me? Other than the fact that we're still telepathically connected, which I didn't know until a few days ago.'

'Remember long ago, my telling you about the Susan that travelled with me?'

'Your granddaughter, yes.'

'She's named for your daughter.'

Sarah tried to wrap her tired brain around that one, but it wasn't quite working.

The Doctor recognized the look in her eyes and took her face gently in his hands. 'Your future was tied to me long before we ever met. Everything happens for a reason, Sarah. Long ago for me, but in the future of this world, I will come to pick up my granddaughter. I didn't know what would happen in what would be my future, the here and now, but knew that for some reason, Lacond named her daughter Susan. She said that her name came from an Earth child she met during the war. That Earth child was your daughter. A daughter that never would have met Lacond, had you not travelled with me. If you had not come up with your story and if she had not found out about you being her mother the way she did. My very existence and the integrity of my past hinged on abandoning one of the only people I truly lo..' he cut himself off before he could say too much. 'My best friend.' He let go of her face, instead tracing it gently with his fingers. 'My Sarah Jane.'

'Doctor,' she whispered, a tear escaping down her cheek. 'Please stop. You never were keen to talk about emotions.' She reached up and wiped at the trail the tear left behind. 'I always expected you to come back for me after you finished on Gallifrey. I guess there was a part of me that was always looking over my shoulder waiting for you to return. That's one of the reasons I allowed Harry to raise my child. I figured you wouldn't want me if I had a child. How selfish was that of me?' She ran a hand across her forehead and eyes, being careful of the swollen one. 'And now that had to happen so that this could happen so your past could happen. All this circular thinking is giving me a headache. What's in the past or the future and how they intertwine. I can't have this conversation now.'

He wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. 'I'm so sorry, Sarah. I couldn't change what needed to happen in your life. I saw things in the Matrix on Gallifrey that I knew had to play out in order to maintain the timelines.'

'Considering you can still play around in my head, I wish you could've found a way to let me know.'

'Would it have been enough?'

She pulled back and looked at him. 'I don't know. But I have to think it was better than not knowing anything at all.'

The Doctor looked deeply into Sarah's eyes. 'Sarah, there's one thing I have to know.'

Sarah smiled, knowing what he was asking. 'One heart, 34 degree body temperature.'

'A little low, humans normally run 37 on the Celsius scale.'

'Mine is running somewhere in the 32 degree range these days.' She shrugged, 'Would that be a side effect of our time together?'

The Doctor smiled and gently touched Sarah's face. 'Possibly. What would Harry say?'

'Leave this one alone, please.'

'Shouldn't we find out?'

'We lost our rights on that a long time ago.' She looked back at the still-sleeping Harry. 'It wouldn't be fair to Harry.'

'As you wish, Sarah.'

~!~!~!~

Garnd walked into the jail, searching for any sign of what caused the failure of both the video screens and the implants. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he began to walk along the cells, looking specifically for the cells that previously held the Doctor, Sarah and Harry. He pointed at the nearest Mechguard. 'Show me the cells where the aliens were being held.'

As the Mechguard began to silently lead him, Garnd didn't pay attention to the three other Mechguards coming up behind him. He also didn't notice as they each withdrew their sidearms, aimed and fired.

TeArin holstered his weapon. 'We have taken down a member of the Quadrant. Our choice is made and our course is set. Let us go find the Doctor and put an end to this war.'

The Mechguards quickly left the jail, heading out across the ridge towards the location the Doctor had given them.

~!~!~!~

Taketo was standing watch as she saw three figures approaching. She recognized the Doctor and Harry instantly, but didn't recognize the third figure that seemed to be slowing their progress. Turning, she signalled to Mirsaj, who quickly ran over to her.

'Let Lacond know that the Doctor is returning. He seems to have someone who is injured with him. Have them brought immediately to the med-tent where we can see to their injuries.'

Mirsaj nodded quickly and ran off without a word. Taketo waited a few minutes before getting a replacement to stand guard and heading off to the med tent herself.

She began gathering supplies as Lacond brought in the Doctor, Harry and as she finally recognized, Sarah. 'Are you injured?' she asked of all of them.

Harry gestured for Sarah to sit down on one of the cots. 'Only Sarah is. We need to get her cuts and scrapes cleaned up to determine how bad the injuries are.

Lacond reached out and gave Sarah's hand a gentle squeeze. 'Sarah, I am very glad to see that you are alive. That will please Susan very much.'

'Where is Susan?' Sarah asked.

'Standing watch over the Eastern Ridge at the moment. Her shift is due to end shortly. I will have Mirsaj go relieve her now.' Lacond motioned towards the Doctor. 'Doctor, you and I need to discuss the remaining parts of your plan.'

'Of course, it's already been set in motion.' The Doctor stated simply.

The Doctor and Sarah exchanged glances before the Doctor followed Lacond from the tent. Harry went into full physician mode and began to clean Sarah's wounds properly. She winced as he hit a very tender spot on her cheek. 'Sorry, Sarah.' He handed her another clean, damp cloth. 'Here, put this over your eye, it will help reduce the swelling.'

She dutifully put it over her eye. 'Harry, I'm really nervous about seeing Susan again after all this time. I wonder if she'll even be speaking to me.'

'It's been six months.'

'Please don't tell me time heals all wounds. We both know that isn't true.'

'Maybe not, but it's a very long time for a daughter to hold a grudge.'

Sarah took the compress off her eye and looked at Harry. 'Please, this is not a grudge, this is us having kept her entire identity a secret from her and she found out on her own.'

Harry took the cloth from her, and rinsed it out again before handing it back to her. 'Sarah, I haven't wanted to ask, old girl, but how did Susan find out the truth?'

'Something about a project her science teacher had her working on. I didn't ever get a chance to find out more details.'

'You just rest, Sarah. We'll have plenty of time for us all to discuss this once we get out of here.'

~!~!~!~

Susan rushed back to camp. Seeing Lacond working on a piece of machinery, she ran over to her. 'Lacond, there are Mechguards approaching over the Eastern ridge.'

'We're expecting them,' Lacond stated plainly.

'Eh? Say what? Expecting them?'

The Doctor came up and stood beside Susan. 'They're going to be on our side.'

'That's a good trick.' Then Susan realised who had spoken. 'Doctor?' She looked around quickly. 'Where's my father?'

It was Lacond that answered. 'He's in the med-tent.'

Susan took off at a run. Lacond started to call after her, but the Doctor put a hand on her arm. 'She needs this, Lacond, and needs to find out on her own.'

Lacond nodded. 'You're right. Of course, Doctor.'

~!~!~!~


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Sarah does some explaining. How will Susan react?

~!~!~!~

_**From the last chapter**  
_

_Susan rushed back to camp. Seeing Lacond working on a piece of machinery, she ran over to her. 'Lacond, there are Mechguards approaching over the Eastern ridge.'_

_'We're expecting them,' Lacond stated plainly._

_'Eh? Say what? Expecting them?'_

_The Doctor came up and stood beside Susan. 'They're going to be on our side.'_

_'That's a good trick.' Then Susan realised who had spoken. 'Doctor?' She looked around quickly. 'Where's my father?'_

_It was Lacond that answered. 'He's in the med-tent.'_

_Susan took off at a run. Lacond started to call after her, but the Doctor put a hand on her arm. 'She needs this, Lacond, and needs to find out on her own.'_

_Lacond nodded. 'You're right. Of course, Doctor.'_

~!~!~!~

Likaria walked through the empty jail. Quickening her pace, she glanced briefly into each cell, verifying that it was indeed empty. As she rounded the corner, she saw the body of Garnd lying in the walkway. No Mechguards were anywhere to be found.

With one last look at Garnd, Likaria turned on her heel and left the jail, heading straight back to her headquarters and her computer bank.

~!~!~!~

Susan took a deep breath and entered the med-tent slowly, not knowing what kind of shape she would find her father in. She'd heard the stories coming out of the Mechguard jails, none of them pleasant. It was difficult to tell what they'd done to him.

Relief flooded her as she saw him fussing over someone. Of course, she realised, he'd be the doctor, not the patient. 'Dad?' she called out as soon as she saw him.

Harry turned around instantly and smiled. 'Sue!'

Susan remembered his patient and her etiquette. 'Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back when you're finished.'

'No, that's OK. Come over here, Sue.'

She saw him wince suddenly and noticed that the patient had grabbed his hand. Tightly, by the look of it. 'What's going on?' she finally asked.

Harry stepped to one side and the patient stood up slowly, while removing a compress that had been covering her eyes. Susan thought she was seeing things, there was no way this was possible. She gasped and her jaw dropped. 'Oh my…' she whispered. She was frozen as she stared at the woman in front of her. Even through the bruises and swelling on the face, Susan could tell that it was Sarah standing in front of her. Susan's mouth moved occasionally, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Finally, Sarah was the one that spoke, but when she did, her voice cracked with emotion. Even in one word. 'Susan.'

Susan started to shake her head slowly. 'C…c…c…can't be. I…uh…um…they…that you…and didn't…I saw…' She couldn't finish the thought.

Sarah slowly crossed the distance between them. Susan continued to mumble incoherently for a minute before Sarah reached up and put a finger over her mouth. Susan stared wide-eyed at Sarah's injuries. Sarah watched Susan's eyes before giving her a small smile. 'It's OK, Sue.'

Tears welled up in Susan's eyes. 'Mum?' she whispered.

Sarah reached out and hugged Susan tightly to her as they both began to cry.

Harry, feeling more than slightly in the way, cleared his throat. Both women turned around to face him. 'I really do hate to interrupt such a great family moment, and I'll leave you two to catch up, but Sarah, you've had a extremely rough go of it, old girl.'

Sarah interrupted him. 'I know that Harry, please shut up.'

Susan barely suppressed a giggle.

'I just meant that you should get plenty of rest. Doctor's orders.'

Exhausted, Sarah walked slowly back and reluctantly sat down back on the bed. As Harry leaned over to help her to lie down, she brushed him off. 'I'm fine, Harry. Would you quit worrying?'

Harry gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and smiled as he headed out. 'I'll never quit worrying about you, Sarah.'

As Harry started to leave, Susan reached over and hugged him tightly. 'Thanks, Dad.'

'For what?'

'For coming back in one piece. And for bringing Sarah back.'

Harry smiled. 'I couldn't leave you here alone, now could I?'

Susan smiled, watched her father leave, then turned back, walked over to the edge of Sarah's bed and whispered. 'I just can't believe it.' Sarah's battle wounds made it look like she had aged so much in the last six months, but of course, Susan had no real idea of all the things Sarah been through. 'I'm so sorry, Sarah. We shouldn't have given up on you. There was a body there that I swore was yours. I just knew you were gone, but I guess I should've known better.'

'It's not your fault. The Mechguards do a very good job of creating the illusion of death. They also do a good job of killing.' Sarah replied slowly. She smiled at Susan, and gently pulled herself into more of a sitting position. She reached out and took Susan's hand. 'Susan, there are a lot of things I would've done differently, if I knew then what I know now.'

Susan sat on the edge of the bed and continued to hold Sarah's hand. 'Don't think about that now, Sarah. Just focus on getting better. We thought for so long that you were dead; I can't believe you're actually alive.'

Sarah shook her head wearily. 'I don't know if I'll ever be able to accurately describe the things I saw and experienced in that prison. I'm a journalist and for once in my life, am completely at a loss for words.'

'You don't need to describe it now. When you're ready, the words will come. It's more important now for you just to rest and to get better.'

'Susan, there are some things I need to explain to you.'

'Such as?'

'Such as what happened between your father and I.'

'Do you think this is a good time to talk about this? It can wait, there's certainly no rush at this point.'

'It's waited too long already. I need to explain why we made the decisions we did. I'm sure by now you know about mine and Harry's travels with the Doctor.'

'Yes, well, sort of. The Doctor is certainly an odd duck from what little I've seen. I would think that travelling with him might drive you nutty.'

'The Doctor was my best friend. I stayed with him much longer than Harry did. I travelled with him before Harry and then long after. I saw things you can't even imagine. I've been to the end of the universe and back, and I'd never trade it for the world.'

'So why did you stop travelling with him?'

'Well, the Doctor got called back to his home planet. Back then, humans weren't allowed, so he rather unceremoniously dropped me off. I thought for the longest time that he would come back for me, but he never did.'

Susan shifted uncomfortably in her seat. 'So you're saying that if the Doctor had come back for you, you wouldn't have gotten together with Dad?'

Sarah shook her head. 'It's not exactly like that. After the Doctor dropped me off, I didn't know where to go. I didn't know who to call. The Doctor thought he dropped me near my house, but the TARDIS steering was rather unreliable in those days and he actually dropped me in Aberdeen.'

'Scotland?' When Sarah nodded, Susan continued. 'That's a heck of a long way from Croydon.'

Sarah barely suppressed a laugh. 'Yeah, you're right. I didn't even know what year I'd arrived in, so I called the only person I knew I could explain things to. Your father. He came and got me and caught me up on the world goings-on. We spent a lot of time together and one thing lead to another.'

'So how exactly did Elizabeth fit into the equation?'

'Elizabeth was a life-long friend of mine. I connected with her soon after I got back. I knew Harry cared for me, but I also knew that I couldn't love him, not while I was still pining for my adventures and constantly looking over my shoulder for the Doctor. So I introduced him to Elizabeth. I knew they'd be perfect for each other, and I backed away while I tried to put my life back together. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I found out that I was expecting you. I didn't want anyone to know about it, so I kept it a secret from everyone except Aunt Lavinia.'

'What did she say?'

'She raised me alone after my parents died, and said she would support my decision to raise you alone. When Elizabeth and I would talk on the phone, I knew she was falling for your father. For the longest time, I made excuses for why I couldn't meet up with her, even for a quick lunch. I said was always too busy, or working. Being the good friend she was, she stopped by my flat. I told her I was expecting, which was beginning to be obvious by that point, but I didn't give her any other details. Of course, she was supportive. She told Harry about it very casually, and that's where things got interesting.'

Susan smiled. 'I can't imagine what went through his head.'

'Harry was always bound by a sense of duty, so of course he came rushing over. He knew right away that he was the father. He told me that he would break things off with Elizabeth and we would get married and do this whole family thing right, but there was no way I was going to do that. It wouldn't have been fair to anyone, especially Elizabeth. She shouldn't have had to pay the price for what we did before they even knew each other. We admitted the whole truth to Elizabeth, and while upset, I think she understood. No one wanted to play the blame game; we only wanted what was best for you at that point. Elizabeth loved your father so much, and I didn't want to do anything to hurt either one of them, but I also wanted to do the right thing by you. Not long after, Elizabeth accepted your father's proposal.'

'That was quick.'

'It was about six months after they met. They adored one another. Never have I seen two people so madly in love.'

Susan smiled at the memory of the pictures she'd seen at home of her father and Elizabeth. She remembered all her years of going to Elizabeth's gravesite and wishing for the mother she never knew. 'How did you come to the decision to give me to them to raise?'

'I hold myself completely responsible for getting pregnant.'

'Dad actually does too.' Susan interrupted.

'What?'

'Dad told me that he holds himself completely responsible. That he knew that you were not in an emotional state to get involved with him, and that you never really felt the same way about him that he did about you.'

Sarah put that thought away to ponder it later and continued with her story. 'Well, once Harry and Elizabeth knew they were going to get married, the three of us sat down to decide what to do. I was still torn about whether to try to raise you on my own, or to put you up for adoption. It was Elizabeth's idea that they should adopt you. You were only a few weeks away from being born. The nice thing was I knew that I would still get to see you, and I also knew that no one would love you more than your father and Elizabeth.'

'What about her cancer? Did she know about it at that point?' Susan asked.

'The day you were born was the day she was diagnosed. Immediately we knew it had progressed too far and was most likely terminal. It was the happiest moment of our lives, and yet also one of the saddest. Elizabeth told Harry that she would love you like her own child for as long as she was alive. Then she requested that I be your godmother so that I could have a part in raising you after she died. We had no idea that it was only going to be three years. We thought she'd be around so much longer.'

Susan let it all soak in for a minute. 'One other question, since we're being honest here. Is Dad really my father? I know my body temperature is too low for the standard human, but I also know that yours runs too low these days.'

Sarah sighed. 'In every way that matters, Harry is your father. I've never questioned it.'

Susan decided instantly not to dwell on that answer, then asked, 'So why didn't you tell me the truth as I got older?'

'I don't know. I've asked myself that over and over again the last couple of years. I think I was scared.' Sarah began to cry. 'Scared of admitting that I was a failure as a mother.'

Susan leaned over and gave Sarah a gentle hug. 'You're not a failure. I love you.'

'I won't abandon you again, Susan.'

~!~!~!~


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: The Doctor gets prodded for information...how much will he explain?

~!~!~!~

The Doctor watched from a slight distance while Lacond spoke with the leader of the Mechguards. He put the pieces in motion, it was now time to sit back and see if his plan would succeed. Walking to within earshot, he heard Lacond as they wrapped up their discussion.

'Then it's agreed,' Lacond stated. 'First thing in the morning, we march on the Quadrant headquarters. TeArin, you and your troops will lead the initial assault.'

TeArin nodded. 'We will simply pave the way, General Lacond. Our limbs will give us more strength over the few remaining guards that Likaria has in place.'

Lacond frowned. 'Likaria?'

'The name of the Quadrant leader. Did you not know her name?'

Lacond shook her head. 'No, we'd only ever known them as the Quadrant. Their names were not important. I knew you and Mijaco by name, only because of the former closeness of our families.' She looked across her shoulder and saw the Doctor. 'If you'll excuse me for a moment. You and your troops are welcome to rest here in the camp with us.'

'We appreciate that, Lacond, but the Mechguards would feel better if we remained just outside your camp, as a precaution. I cannot guarantee that Likaria will not be able to reestablish her control over us, and I do not wish to cause you any more unnecessary harm. If she was to reestablish control, use your weapons to disable us.'

Lacond reached out and clasped TeArin's hand in hers. 'Thank you, TeArin. It will be good for us to be fighting on the same side again.' Leaving the Mechguards behind, Lacond headed straight for the Doctor. 'You knew.' It was a statement, not a question.

'There are many things going on here, Lacond.'

Lacond looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. 'I am beginning to feel that you know way too many things, Doctor. You knew that Likaria was leading the Quadrant. Did you suspect her motives when you were here before?'

'I did. If you remember, I offered you the opportunity to leave Trivid and come with me.'

'What would that have gained? My father still would've organized the resistance. Did he know that my mother had been pulled into the Quadrant? And if you wanted me to join you so badly, why did you not return earlier as you had promised?'

'I saw the strain between your mother and father. They were both involved in the political restructuring that was going on after the King's death. After I left, I saw things in the Matrix that are still to happen here that I am powerless to change.'

'Doctor, why did the Time Lords not intervene? We are a kindred race, sharing more genetic structure than any other races in this galaxy. Surely there was some level of concern on the part of the High Council?'

The Doctor sighed. 'There was concern. They deemed it not worthy of breaking their non-interference policy. The Time Lords saw a future where the Quadrant ruled and it was deemed unacceptable. Rather than send in a contingent of Time Lords to deal with the Quadrant, they only agreed to send in a rogue element to introduce a resistance movement.'

Lacond looked at the ground, the pieces falling into place. 'They sent you and Sarah here all those years ago. You pushed my father into organizing the resistance. You also knew that my mother was going to be the Quadrant leader.' She thought for a moment before continuing. 'Sarah does not remember being here before.'

Quickly shaking his head, the Doctor responded. 'No, she does not remember, and she does not need to ever remember what happened here before.'

~!~!~!~

As Mirsaj entered his tent for the night, he was surprised to see Susan already there, sitting on a makeshift chair next to the bed. 'I thought you would stay with Sarah.'

Susan shrugged. 'She needed her rest. Dad is with her now.' Standing up, she began to pace. 'None of this seems real, Mirsaj.'

Mirsaj walked over and wrapped his arms around Susan. 'You've thought for several months that she was dead. Now that she's back, it will take you some time to readjust. Besides, you also will have to eventually come to terms with the fact that she is your mother. You kept that part of your relationship at a distance before she disappeared. Now, both of your parents are here, you'll have to determine how the dynamic will be.'

Susan nodded and pulled out of his embrace. 'True. And there's something I need to ask the Doctor about. I'll be back shortly.' With that, she headed out of the tent in search of the Doctor.

The dual suns were just fading beyond the horizon as Susan walked towards a nearby grassy clearing. It was odd to see the Mechguards just outside the main camp. She'd only seen them up close in battle, and wasn't particularly comfortable about being up close with them now. However, she'd learned to trust Lacond and her judgment, and if Lacond believed that siding with the Mechguards was the key to ending the war, she wouldn't question it. She didn't have that same level of trust with the Doctor. There were too many questions that only he had the answer for. As if he knew she was thinking about him, the Doctor rounded the corner and walked straight for her.

'Ah, Susan, there you are.'

'Yes, Doctor. I was actually looking for you.'

He motioned for her to sit down on a large rock. 'Yes, I know.'

Susan frowned. 'How?'

The Doctor sat down beside her, both of them staring straight ahead, not looking at each other. 'You seem to have inherited a bit of latent telepathy from Sarah. She had a small amount that she exercised while we were traveling together.'

'Mmmm.' Putting her thoughts in order, she continued. 'Why did you do it?'

'Do what?' he asked innocently, glancing over at her, meeting her inquisitive eyes only for a moment.

'You were my substitute science teacher, did you think I wouldn't recognise you now? You arranged for me to get the DNA results telling me that Sarah was my biological mother. What do you get out of it? You blew up my life and everything I'd known up until that point.'

'Isn't it better to know the truth? The knowledge of the truth will set you free.'

'Or in this case, Doctor, it set us on a course to get embroiled in a war that isn't our own.'

'Susan, I'm a Time Lord. Sarah travelled with me for years knowing that I wasn't human. One thing she understood was that history must be protected at all costs, and that certain elements are fixed and must play themselves out. Unfortunately, you needed to be here, it's a fixed event.'

'Why?'

'You're making a difference, and you've made a very strong impression on both Lacond and Mirsaj. That's important, Susan, even if you don't know how very crucial you are.'

Susan sighed. 'Doctor, you're telling me absolutely nothing. Did Mum find you as frustrating when she travelled with you as I'm finding you now?'

The Doctor looked over and gave her a small smile. 'Oh very probably.'

With that, Susan stood up and left the Doctor to his own thoughts.

~!~!~!~

Sarah tossed and turned and couldn't quite get comfortable on the bed she was sleeping in, despite it being the most comfortable place she'd been in months.

Harry was sitting in a nearby chair, just watching her, but jumped as she sat bolt upright suddenly.

'It's no use,' she sighed.

He jumped up and went to stand next to her, putting a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. 'What's wrong, Sarah.'

'I just can't shake the feeling that this is all a dream. That I'm going to wake up any minute and find myself back in that cell all over again.'

Harry began to absently rub Sarah's back soothingly. 'I can't pretend to think that I know what you've been through. All I can say is that I'm going to stand beside you now while you get better.'

She turned around to look at him, and slid sideways on the bed. 'Harry, there's plenty of room here. Would it sound weird if I asked you to just hold me while I sleep?'

'Of course not.' Harry sat down beside Sarah and gave her a quick wink. 'I'm assuming you're not worried about any funny business.'

Sarah gave him a dark look. 'Harry, there hasn't been any funny business between us in over 18 years.' They both laughed as Harry wrapped his arms around her.

Several minutes later, just as Sarah seemed to be falling asleep, Harry whispered, 'I'll hold you until the end of time, if you'll let me.'

Sarah let the comment pass and she drifted off to sleep. Some time later, she felt the familiar tingle against her mind, whispering. 'You know I couldn't tell you same thing.' She knew immediately what it was about. She got up slowly, as not to disturb Harry.

Coming out of the tent, she looked around and then instinctively knew where to go. Walking along, she saw the singular figure looking out on the camp from above. Practically crawling, she managed to get up on the rocky outcropping. 'Doctor, you would pick one of the most outrageous places to hang out for the night.'

'Up here, it's quiet and peaceful. And it allows me to see what's going on.'

'For a planet having two suns, they have one of the palest moons around. I barely saw you up here.' She sat down beside him. 'So what is going on? Have you figured it all out yet?'

The Doctor gave a small laugh. 'I'm working on it.'

Sarah looked over at him. 'So what did you mean by that cryptic message you shot in my head?'

'Your telepathy skills have improved.'

Sarah smiled. 'Not really. I've just learned to listen to it for what it is. When I travelled with you, I heard it. I just thought a lot of it was my imagination.'

The Doctor reached over and squeezed Sarah's hand gently. 'No, it wasn't your imagination.'

Sarah looked over at the Doctor. 'That's why I expected you to come back.'

The Doctor continued to stare straight ahead and refused to look over at Sarah. Quietly, he said, 'That's why I couldn't come back.'

Sarah sighed, then looked back over the dimly illuminated landscape. 'You know, Doctor, I sometimes wonder whether any of this is worth it. We're sitting here, watching another planet destroy itself slowly. You've seen this thousands of times more than I have. Is it ever worth it?'

'Sometimes.'

For several minutes, they just sat together in silence, staring straight ahead, looking over the landscape, each one simply pondering the recent events. After a while, Sarah spoke. 'OK, I've had time to think about this for a while. How can Lacond's daughter, Susan be considered your granddaughter? Lacond isn't your daughter, is she? Or is your Susan's father your son?'

'Relationships are tricky, Sarah.'

'Don't I know it. But that's a delightful way of avoiding the question.'

'The Gallifreyans and the Trividians are very similar, genetically, even down to the double heart. Trivid could almost be considered a colony world of Gallifrey, although they're not eligible to join the Academy to become Time Lords. I spent a lot of time here when Lacond's Susan was little. I had the body of an old man at the time and it seemed the easiest way to describe the relationship. Susan's father was Gallifreyan, and I actually came here to make sure that Susan got all the proper training that she was entitled to. Because she was half-Gallifreyan, I petitioned to have her enrolled in the Academy, which the Time Lords finally allowed. We left before she had a chance to finish her exams.'

Sarah was surprised by the amount of information the Doctor had just given her, but attributed it to this regeneration. She smiled, thinking that her version of the Doctor never would have mentioned anything in that much detail. 'I think I like this body of yours, Doctor?'

He looked over at her, smiling. 'What do you mean?'

'You're actually talking to me, rather than at me. Makes for a nice change.' Sarah stood up to stretch. The Doctor quickly jumped up and steadied her as she lost her footing. 'Sorry, Doctor, that knee injury has done its damage.'

He couldn't wipe the look of concern off of his face. 'As much as I enjoy your company, Sarah, you should actually be resting, not up here talking to me. You need to stop pushing yourself so hard.'

'Says you. You're not exactly a shining example of taking life easy.'

The Doctor leaned over and kissed Sarah gently on the forehead. 'My Sarah Jane, let's get you back to camp.' Taking her arm, he gently guided her down the edge of the outcropping and back towards the med-tent. As they got to the edge, the Doctor turned towards her. 'Lacond and the Mechguards are headed out to attack the Quadrant headquarters in the morning. You need to stay here, out of harm's way.'

Sarah frowned. 'Susan will be amongst the attack group, won't she?'

'That will be up to Lacond, I would imagine.'

Sarah took the Doctor's hands in hers and her eyes pleaded with him. 'If she is, Doctor, I need for you to keep her safe.'

'Don't worry, Sarah, nothing will happen to Susan.'

Sarah nodded and walked back into the med-tent. As the Doctor walked away, he almost silently added. 'I hope.'

~!~!~!~


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Almost finished...sorry for the delay...real life and all that...

~!~!~!~

Susan and Mirsaj rose with the suns the next morning, and began preparing their equipment for the battle ahead. Lacond walked up to them and surveyed their work. Nodding in approval, she started to walk away, then stopped.

'Susan, let me speak with you for a moment.' Susan and Lacond stepped away from Mirsaj. Lacond finally turned to Susan. 'You do not have to do this, Susan.'

'Do what?'

'You do not have to go into this battle. I do not expect you to. You recently got your family returned to you, I will not ask you to risk your life.'

Susan smiled. 'Lacond, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I came here to help you win this war, and I'm going to see that through. This might be the final battle, so I'm not going to back out now.'

Lacond reached up and squeezed Susan's shoulder. 'Thank you.'

~!~!~!~

As TeArin and his Mechguards approached the Quadrant headquarters, none of the Chosen troops or other Mechguards questioned their appearance. TeArin walked up to the main guard on the door of the cathedral room. 'We have urgent business with Mistress Likaria. It's in reference to the rebel Lacond.'

Before the guard could respond, TeArin's Mechguards went into attack formation, easily overpowering the other Mechguards. TeArin motioned back towards Lacond, where she, Susan, the Doctor and Mirsaj had been in hiding, and they quickly marched into the main cathedral room. 'The main chamber has been accessed. Past that, I do not know how many additional troops Likaria may have in place, or where they may be hiding.'

Lacond nodded. 'I understand. From here on, I want no firepower used, unless it's an absolute last resort. I want to give Likaria every opportunity to surrender.' Before anyone could object, Lacond silenced them with a look. Waving in her additional troops, Lacond looked around and finally pointed towards the tapestry hanging on the back wall. She walked over to the tapestry, and then using her weapon, slowly moved it out of the way, revealing the long narrow hallway. She could barely see the room beyond, but knew she needed to investigate. 'Susan, Mirsaj, the Doctor and I will go on. You all remain out here.'

Weapons primed and ready, Lacond, Mirsaj and Susan headed down the hallway. The Doctor casually walked behind them, observing the construction material used in the hallway as they walked.

After about 30 metres, the hallway widened into a brightly lit, clinical room where the walls were covered in computer monitors and equipment. Against one wall was a person-shaped terminal. The Doctor quickly began looking around at the computer equipment.

'What is this, Doctor?' Lacond asked.

'This is where Likaria's been running the show.' He went over and stood in front of the terminal. 'Lacond, come here.' Lacond walked over and stood next to the Doctor beside the terminal and waited for him to continue. 'Look at these interfaces in the arms and legs of this terminal. Wouldn't you say that it would make sense that these could interact with cybernetic limbs?'

Lacond reached out and unfastened a couple of buckles on one arm and moved a piece of armour away, revealing the cybernetic implants. She held it up towards the terminal. 'So Likaria has these same cybernetic limbs. Perhaps her goal with me was not total MechGuard conversion.'

'She probably wanted to see if you could be convinced to join her side before going that far.'

'I've been waiting for you, Lacond.' The voice came from seemingly nowhere, but suddenly Likaria appeared from the hallway and grabbed Susan from behind, wrapping an arm easily around her neck and holding a weapon to her head with her other hand. She glared at Susan. 'And you, Earth girl, you've caused me some serious trouble, although, I have been able to reap a certain entertainment value from it.'

Mirsaj, Susan, Lacond and the Doctor all froze. No one moved, but each glanced around to the other.

'How did you get past the troops?' Lacond asked.

Likaria dismissed the question with a wave of her weapon, 'I own this planet, Lacond. I can go wherever I choose, whenever I choose.' Her eyes locked on the Doctor. 'Well, if it isn't the Doctor! Different face this time, but with the same annoying urge to interfere. You were here at the start of the war, and now you're here at the end. I bet when the Time Lords sent you and Sarah here all those years ago, they never saw this as the end, did they? This was the unacceptable alternative, wasn't it?'

'You know it was. The Quadrant's rule of the planet has never been for the good of Trivid, but only for the good of the Quadrant. Even the Chosen were treated no better than slaves. Giving them just enough Cyryllium to get by. It's just cruel.'

'It worked, Doctor.' She gestured around the room with the hand holding her gun, even as she tightened her arm around Susan's neck. 'Look at what I've created. All because one person told me that I should go after what I believed in, that I should stand up for myself. She said that I could do anything I set my mind to and that no one could stop me. That person was my hero, Doctor.'

'You have a terrible way of treating your heroes.'

Likaria ignored his comment, turning instead to Lacond. 'Think of it, Lacond. You could still join me, take your rightful place as my daughter and we could rule side by side.'

Lacond shook her head. 'We outnumber you, Likaria. You cannot think that you will still win.'

Laughing again, Likaria pushed Susan down to her knees and levelled the weapon at her temple. 'I will kill your precious Earth girl.' She looked down at Susan, 'I told your fellow Earthling that I would kill you and that what she went through would be nothing compared to what I'd do to you. She always fought me when I threatened you. You're her daughter, aren't you?'

Susan refused to let any fear cross her features. 'I have no value to them, kill me if you will, but you will still be taken down.'

The Doctor spoke again. 'The Time Lords will not let you win, Likaria. What you do to one human is of no consequence to them. Or can you take on the Time Lords as well?'

Likaria pulled Susan back to her feet. 'Very well.' She walked towards the computer bank. 'This, Doctor, is the Electorate Body. I think you'll find that my MechGuards can be quite convincing. Your attempt at breaking control of my MechGuards was amusing, but ultimately ineffective. Your excuses for soldiers are now in MechGuard custody. Only you four remain.' She pushed several buttons, and watched the hallway entry as three MechGuards walked through, guns pointed directly at the Doctor, Lacond and Mirsaj. 'Now, Lacond, what were you saying earlier about being outnumbered?'

'I still will not surrender to you, Likaria.'

Likaria primed her weapon, keeping it levelled at Susan's head. 'The choice is yours.'

The sound of the weapon firing echoed through the chamber.

~!~!~!~


	19. Chapter 19

Likaria primed her weapon, keeping it levelled at Susan's head. 'The choice is yours.'

The sound of the weapon firing echoed through the chamber.

~!~!~!~

Time froze. Likaria continued to smile and registered nothing as she dropped lifelessly to the ground.

The Doctor looked quickly over at Lacond just as she was rushing to Likaria's side. He was beside Susan in an instant, looking around to find out who fired the shot. Lacond checked for a pulse on Likaria, before looking up at the Doctor and shaking her head slightly. 'She's dead.'

Susan looked numb, her body glued to the spot, realising how close she came to losing her life. The fallen figure that had just been holding her in a death grip seemed invincible mere moments before. A clatter behind her broke the spell, causing her to whirl around quickly, her own weapon drawn. Sarah emerged from the hallway, and leaned against the wall of the room, a heavy weapon lying at her feet. 'I started this. I ended it.' Sarah said before collapsing.

Susan quickly rushed over to Sarah and cradled Sarah's head in her lap. 'Sarah, wake up, please, Mum.'

Sarah roused slightly, but the words were not coming out coherently. She quickly lapsed back into unconsciousness.

Mirsaj glanced over at Lacond, who gave him a quick nod. 'Check outside.' Without a word, he rushed out to ascertain the situation.

In the relative quiet that remained, an explosion suddenly rocked the chamber. Susan felt glass shards hitting her face and arms, so she instinctively leaned over Sarah to protect her. The Doctor and Lacond were thrown to the floor with the force of the blast.

'The Electorate Body!' Lacond exclaimed from where she was still lying. 'It's self-destructing.' No one moved as two more explosions completely decimated the computer banks, leaving only smoking rubble in its wake.

Mirsaj came rushing back in as the debris from the final explosion rained down on the floor. 'All the Mechguards just collapsed!' He saw Susan kneeling by Sarah and ran to her side.

As she looked up at him, she could feel slight trickles of blood coming from her face and arms. She tried to wipe them away before he noticed, but he quickly saw them. 'Susan, you're bleeding!'

'It's just scratches from the debris.' She looked back down to Sarah and began to pull shards of material out of her hair. 'Come on, Mum, wake up.'

The Doctor stood up, helped Lacond up before dusting off his knees and hands, then walked slowly around the room, surveying the computer damage, by poking the end of his umbrella into it. 'Likaria must have tied them all together with her brain chip. She tied herself into the chips that controlled the Mechguards and the Electorate Body computer. When she died, the rest of it collapsed with her.'

'What about the Mechguards, will they be ok?' Lacond asked.

'Only time will tell,' the Doctor admitted. 'It really depends on how much they were intertwined with Likaria.' He pondered for a moment. 'No wonder she was always able to exert her will over theirs and suppress their emotions. She literally networked them together so they were functioning as one mind.'

The Doctor knelt down beside Sarah and gently touched her face. 'My Sarah Jane. Stupid, but brave.' He ran a finger along the edge of her face.

Susan jumped to Sarah's defence. 'Hey, don't call her stupid.'

'That wasn't what I meant. There was no way that she could know that her shot would be on target. Although, she always was a good shot.'

'We've fought in this war a long time, Doctor,' Susan admitted. 'I think she was reacting purely on instinct. What did she mean by saying that she started it and she ended it? So Likaria was telling the truth when she said that Sarah had been here before? Why wouldn't she have ever mentioned that?'

The Doctor looked from Sarah to Susan. 'The hero that Likaria mentioned was Sarah.'

'What are you talking about Doctor?' Lacond asked.

'Apparently she remembered. Something must've broken through, because she shouldn't have remembered.' He turned back to Lacond, 'While I was spending a lot of time working with your father outlining plans for the resistance, Sarah got to know your mother. I knew from the information that the Time Lords had given me that Likaria was leaning towards the Quadrant's plans. Even I didn't know at the time how close she was to the leaders. Sarah was a firm believer in standing up for what you believe in, but she didn't know how that played right into the plans of the Quadrant to pull Likaria in further.'

Susan continued to keep her eyes on Sarah, gently pushing the hair away from her face. 'How could she forget all that?'

'I suppressed her memories.'

Susan glared at the Doctor. 'Why?'

The Doctor matched her stare. 'Would you want to live with the knowledge that a well placed word fell on the ears of a mad woman who would start a war because of it?' Without elaborating further, he stood and began to study the remains of the computer system.

Lacond looked back at the body of Likaria. 'Until today, I hadn't seen her since her since the war started. For years, I believed she was dead. Today, I know for sure.'

Mirsaj walked over and stood next to Lacond. 'Are you all right, Lacond?'

Lacond reached out and gently squeezed Mirsaj's shoulder, but continued to look at Likaria's body. 'There's something you need to know, Mirsaj. Something I was previously unable to tell you. Do you remember when the war started? Do you remember your parents?'

'No, I was too young. I know my parents were both killed early on in the war and that Taketo took me in.'

'Taketo was your mother's sister. She felt it was her responsibility to care for you after the death of your parents. However, there was one element that was not revealed to you.' Lacond looked over at Mirsaj. He gave her a questioning look, but said nothing, so she continued. 'You are my brother, Mirsaj. You were not told, because I could not stand to see you become a target of the Quadrant. Ultimately, given that Likaria was heading the Quadrant, she had to know who you were.'

'Why would Likaria know?'

'Likaria was our mother.'

Mirsaj nodded slowly, but continued to say nothing. After a moment, he whispered, 'Lacond, may I be dismissed?'

'You're no longer a soldier reporting to me, Mirsaj. The war is over. You are free to do as you choose.'

'Thank you, Lacond.' With that, Mirsaj quickly left the chamber.

Susan continued to cradle the unconscious Sarah's head in her lap, but watched as Mirsaj left and was torn between wanting to go after him and staying with Sarah. Susan looked around to see the Doctor still poking in the leftover machinery that composed the Electorate Body computer.

Just then, Harry came running in. He quickly looked around the room and made a beeline for Susan and Sarah. 'One of the soldiers told me there had been casualties. I made my way here as quickly as I could.' Even as he was checking Sarah's vital signs, he noticed the trickles of blood on Susan's face. He reached out and gently cupped her face in his hand, wiping away a streak of blood with this thumb. 'Susan, are you OK?'

'Yeah, I'm fine, Dad, just a few cuts and scratches. I'm more worried about Sarah. I don't know that she's physically injured, but she collapsed after shooting Likaria.' After a minute, she added, 'Dad, I need to go find Mirsaj.'

He nodded, his attention refocused on Sarah. 'Go on, Sue. I'm going to get Sarah back to either the med-tent or the TARDIS. Come and find me after you talk to him, though. We need to get those cuts seen to.'

~!~!~!~


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Notes:**

**This sets a little back story and brings us that much closer to the end. Again, I own nothing and appreciate those who have been reading. Sorry about the real life delays that got in the way.**

The Doctor knelt down next to Sarah as she began to sit up, albeit with Harry's assistance. He noticed the glazed look in her eyes. 'How are you feeling, Sarah?' the Doctor asked.

'Timey wimey. Timeline results clear.'

Harry glanced over to the Doctor. 'What is she going on about?'

'The pieces are falling into place.' The Doctor added.

Her eyes cleared briefly. 'I feel rather muzzy. Like I shouldn't have had those last two drinks.'

'Now there's the Sarah Jane I know. At least you have your sense of humour,' Harry smiled.

Sarah only rolled her eyes in response to Harry before looking at the Doctor, her eyes clouding over again. 'Ending creates the beginning. Events play out, fixed in space and time. I saw all of this happen before.'

'Harry, I'll I take Sarah to the TARDIS to get her seen to. You find your daughter and take care of any injuries the Trividians or Mechguards have sustained.' The Doctor put an arm around Sarah's waist and helped her to stand. 'I'll bring the TARDIS to the main camp and pick up you and Susan.'

Harry looked at the Doctor to be certain, then nodded. 'Righto, Doctor.' More softly, he added, 'Please take care of her.'

'Don't worry Harry.'

~!~!~!~

It took some doing, but Susan found Mirsaj standing on one of the rocky outcroppings overlooking the valley of Kithra. He glanced over at her, but didn't say anything. Susan walked over to him and took his hand in hers. He simply turned and looked at her. 'I'm so sorry.'

'I don't think you could possibly understand, Susan.'

She lifted an eyebrow and looked at him. 'Oh really?'

He pulled her to him. 'Yes, you understand, of course you do. I'm sorry.' He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

'Don't be sorry. I know finding out about your relationship with Lacond and Likaria is a shock to you. It's a lot to absorb and it'll take time.'

Mirsaj reached up and held Susan's face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes. 'How much time do we have, Susan?'

'What do you mean?'

'The war is over, your parents are safe. How long do you think you'll remain here before the Doctor is ready to take you back to Earth.'

She pulled away from him and walked in small circles, thinking while talking. 'I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. Things will need to be settled here first, I would think. I don't know much about the Doctor, but I'm sure he'll want to hang around for a bit and make sure things are taken care of before he disappears again.'

'Sue, that is not what I've heard about the Doctor. He packs up quickly after the worst is over and leaves the cleanup for those that remain.' He walked over to her and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. 'Susan, stay with me.'

The question surprised her. 'I love you, Mirsaj. I'll have to find out how often I can see my parents. I'm going to need to think about it.'

'That's understandable. It seems like we both need time to process all that has happened.'

Susan nodded. 'I think I need to go find my father. He wants to look at the few cuts and scrapes I've got and make sure nothing needs any further attention.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor guided Sarah into the TARDIS. Sarah could feel the time ship reaching out and mentally welcoming her. 'Home, yes,' she said in response as she gently ran a hand across the console.

The Doctor smiled. 'She missed you, Sarah. As did I.'

'What happening to me?' Sarah asked, without fear.

'You have memories that are readjusting, and your time sensitivity is increasing.' When she shot him a questioning look, he continued, 'It has to be because we're back on Trivid again. You're beginning to sense the changes that need to happen here for the past to continue on its appropriate course. Unless I block it again, it should continue to increase, so that even once you're back on Earth, you'll sense abnormal changes in the timelines.'

'Will I start having those memory flashes again?'

'I don't know. You've not had any future flashes have you?'

Changing the subject, Sarah continued. 'Susan is going to want to stay here, but she can't, can she?'

The Doctor shook his head slightly, 'As much as she would like, she needs to leave so that Lacond can continue healing the planet. You and Susan had a very large part to play in that.'

'I also had a very large part in starting this war.'

The Doctor set the coordinates rapidly and watched as the TARDIS dematerialised.

'Where are we going?' Sarah asked.

'I'm putting us in the vortex for a while, Sarah. You need your rest before we go back and get Harry and Susan.'

'You mean I need to come to terms with several facts. One, that I'm becoming time sensitive, which I shouldn't be as a normal human, which is another story entirely. Two, that you blocked my memories of our first visit here. And finally, three, the role I played in getting Likaria wrapped up with the Quadrant in the first place.'

~!~!~!~  
_  
'Well?' the Doctor asked as Sarah stuck her head out the doors of the TARDIS._

_Sarah looked out over the lush, green valley. The dual suns were just beginning to sink below the horizon and the blaze of colours were unlike any sight on Earth. 'Oh Doctor, it's beautiful!' she exclaimed as she stepped fully outside of the TARDIS._

_'That can't be right,' he said, practically pushing her out of the way, his blue eyes scouring the landscape around them. He held up a piece of his massive striped scarf to shield his eyes from the suns. 'Meddling idiots are at it again. This is not Stranvarden.'_

_Sarah looked back at her tall friend and smiled. 'Maybe not, Doctor, but it does look nice and quiet.'_

_'Ah ha!' a male voice exclaimed from behind them. 'I thought I heard the TARDIS.'_

_The Doctor whirled around quickly, reaching an arm around Sarah, pushing her behind him to keep himself between her and the newcomer. 'It does have that distinctive sound.'_

_The newcomer smiled and came towards the Doctor with his hand extended. 'Doctor, I see that you are younger looking in this incarnation. It suits you.'_

_The Doctor finally smiled and reached out and grabbed the other man's hand affectionately. 'Trefyl! It's been a long time.'_

_Sarah stepped out from behind the Doctor. 'And I'm Sarah Jane Smith.' She reached out her hand towards Trefyl._

_The Doctor completed the introduction. 'Trefyl and I were at the Academy together. Sarah is my best friend.'_

_Trefyl smiled. 'Is she now? Well, Sarah, it is a pleasure to meet anyone that this stubborn Time Lord considers his best friend. Welcome to Trivid. It's not much, but it's home.'_

_'So why are we here, Doctor?' Sarah asked._

_Trefyl was the one that answered her. 'I would imagine the High Council sent you here. Our situation is grim, Doctor, and there's no way it would not have attracted their attention.'_

_'You're right, Trefyl. It did. They only sent me because they couldn't be seen to interfere. So, you'd better tell me everything that's going on.'_

_Sarah interjected. 'You mean the Time Lords sent us here?'_

_'Yes, unfortunately.'_

_'The King is near death, Doctor, and there is no heir. There is a group positioning themselves to take control of the government.' Trefyl looked at the ground. 'Doctor, my secondary unit is a part of that group. I do not feel that the group is going to function in the best interest of Trivid. Several others feel as I do. As a Time Lord, I should not interfere, yet, I cannot stand by and watch this planet that I've come to think of as home self destruct.'_

_'Well, you cannot let that group take complete control of the planet. You need to organise the others that feel as you do and fight them.'_

_'What are you suggesting, Doctor?'_

_'Trefyl, I've known you for hundreds of years. You know that I would not suggest violence if it could be avoided. If you can talk some sense into this group, then I would suggest you do it quickly.'_

_~!~!~!~_

_As Sarah was pushed through the doorway and the door slammed behind her, she was swathed in the pitch-blackness of the room. 'Oi, you don't have to shove! Wow, I can't see a thing.'_

_'Take five steps straight forward.' The Doctor's voice guided her._

_Sarah took the steps forward and stopped. 'Now what?'_

_'One side-step to the right.'_

_As she did so, Sarah hit something. She reached out in front of her and felt what she correctly assumed was some sort of mattress. 'Where are you?'_

_'Sitting on a chair on the other side of the bed. Have a seat, Sarah. They'll hold us here at least until morning.'_

_Sarah sat down. 'Why? What did we do?'_

_'We're here. That's enough. Apparently you and I are viewed as a threat because of our association with Trefyl.'_

_Sarah lay back on the bed, crossed her feet at the ankles and folded her hands across her stomach. 'Hmmmm.'_

_They were both silent for a long time. Finally, the Doctor broke the silence. 'Sarah, you're unusually quiet. Normally you're asking more questions by now.'_

_'You aren't sitting in a chair. My eyes adjusted. And as for what I'm doing, I'm thinking.' She looked over to her left where the Doctor was laying on the bed in the exact same posture that she'd taken. She smiled. 'I figured if it was good enough for you, it's good enough for me.'_

_'Don't be cheeky, Miss.' He smiled and reached up, took his hat and dropped it over her face._

_She propped herself up on one elbow and turned towards the Doctor, while pushing his hat from her face to the top of her head with her free hand. 'In all seriousness Doctor, there's something not quite right with Likaria.'_

_'What do you mean?'_

_'Trefyl knows that Likaria already disagrees with him and is part of the group that's posturing for control. And yet she won't do anything outright, and he won't discuss it. What is Trefyl afraid of? Does Likaria have something on him, or is she pressuring him to conform?'_

_'Those are good questions, Sarah. The questions that follow are perhaps the more difficult ones. We were sent here to try to stir up a resistance movement or at least keep that group from taking total control. Trefyl doesn't seem to be moving, and what would be the one thing to push him into moving?'_

_Sarah answered his question. 'If Likaria stepped out, Trefyl would be forced to act, wouldn't he? Maybe we're just using the wrong approach. You know Trefyl well. Maybe, just maybe, I need to spend some time with Likaria and find out what makes her tick. I can probably get her to confide in me and see where she really stands.'_

_'That's not a bad idea, Sarah. Tell you what, you get a good night's sleep, I'll continue to think through what we know, and we'll regroup in the morning.'_

_Sarah rolled back on her back and took the Doctor's hat and pulled it back down over her face. 'Sounds like a plan to me. Good night, Doctor.'_

_~!~!~!~_

_The Doctor watched Sarah as she slept. He'd seen her briefly rest now and again during their travels, but was the first time he'd seen her truly sleep. He watched her features change and realised she must be dreaming. He smiled and reached out and pushed a stray hair away from her face._

_As he watched, her features took on an almost terrified look before she jolted awake with a gasp. She sat up quickly, paying him no notice. She pulled her knees up towards her chest, propped her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands as her breath finally slowed to a normal rate._

_Gently, the Doctor reached out and put a hand on her arm. 'Are you alright, Sarah?'_

_'Will be, that was some nightmare. The images, they were coming so fast and were so disturbing.'_

_'Do you want to talk about it?'_

_She looked over at him, and even in the darkness of the room, he could see the anguish in her eyes. 'Either my imagination has finally gotten the better of me, or I was seeing future events that I have no business seeing.'_

_The Doctor frowned, reached out and took her hands in his. 'Listen to me Sarah, this is very important. Spatially, we're very close to Gallifrey. It's possible that time is folding in such a way as to give you glimpses into what will happen in the future. I need to know all the images you saw.'_

_She shook her head. 'They happened so fast, and they're fading quickly. There's no way I can remember them all.'_

_'I can help you.'_

_'Oh no, Doctor, please, not that.' She gave him a look, but he only squeezed her hands in reassurance. 'Oh, all right.'_

_'I promise, Sarah, this won't hurt a bit.' He reached up and touched her temples before she could object again. 'Sarah, tell me in as much detail as possible about each of the images you saw in your dream.'_

_'I was standing on a country road, watching the TARDIS dematerialise. Then I was older and kneeling near a small robotic like dog, and got caught away in some whirlwind thing. Then I was walking along and tripped and rolled down an embankment and you helped me out, but it was the earlier you that I met. Then, I saw myself in a jail cell. I was in a lot of pain and my shoulder had been dislocated. I knew I was fighting in a war with a young woman. The scene changed and I was in a banquet room. As debris rained down on us, the same young woman from the war was with me. She was wearing a UNIT uniform and we were helping someone up off the floor. Next, I was running and you reached out and took my hand, but it was a version of you I'd never seen before — tall and skinny. The next thing I was standing in front of a young boy, scanning him with what appeared to be a wristwatch. The last thing I saw I was holding some sort of sonic device and I was bringing it slowly towards a piece of jewellery, knowing it would cause a massive explosion.'_

_The Doctor frowned as Sarah stopped talking. He watched as her head dropped forward. 'Sarah, was there anything else?'_

_'No more.'_

_'Are you sure?'_

_'No more.'_

_The Doctor reached up and gently lifted her head, so that she was looking at him. 'Sarah, look at me. You don't need to remember any of that. Do you understand? Those memories will come as the events happen, but you don't need to know them now.'_

_'I understand, Doctor.'_

_'Good.' He reached up and touched her temples again. 'Feeling better?' he asked._

_'You said it wouldn't hurt, but that wasn't one hundred percent true.'_

_He squeezed her hands and smiled gently. 'A little bit of burn on the dendrites, but ultimately, it would've been better than if you'd kept those images in you head.'_

_'Do you think it's our proximity to Gallifrey like you thought?'_

_'I don't know, Sarah. I think the important thing is that we get off this planet as soon as possible.'_

_'What about what the Time Lords sent us here to do? To stir up the resistance.'_

_'I think it's best for you to talk to Likaria in the morning like we discussed. I'll try to get Trefyl to move. Once we think there's some forward progress, we leave and get you seen to further. I don't like it Sarah, even with the proximity to Gallifrey, you should not have had that happen.'_

_Sarah frowned. 'How many hours until daylight?'_

_'At least three would be my guess.'_

_'If I try to sleep again, will those images come back?' There was a slight waver in her voice that the Doctor didn't miss._

_'It will be all right, Sarah. I promise.' She laid back down, but only looked straight up at the ceiling, her body remaining tense. The Doctor reclined back, but kept an eye on Sarah. He noticed that she didn't close her eyes, except to blink. 'Sarah?'_

_'Hmmm?'_

_'You can relax.'_

_She turned over on her side and looked at the Doctor. 'No I can't. I know you took horrible images out of my mind. I don't remember the details, but I can't shake the sense of dread.'_

_'Let me help you, Sarah. It's unconventional, but I can help mask those sensations so you can sleep.'_

_She gave him a crooked smile. 'Hypnotise me to sleep?'_

_He laughed. 'Not exactly. The closest equivalent would be like wrapping a mental blanket around your mind.'_

_Sarah propped herself up on one elbow. 'How do you propose to do that?'_

_The Doctor reached out and took her hand in his. 'Now, close your eyes and relax, Sarah.'_

_As Sarah leaned back and closed her eyes again, she felt a calm radiate through her._

_~!~!~!~  
_


	21. Chapter 21

Sarah laid back on one of the beds in the sickbay of the TARDIS. 'From what I remember, Likaria certainly didn't come across as the type that would've taken over the Quadrant.'

'Well, Sarah, you know as well as I do that appearances can frequently be deceiving.' The Doctor fastened a small device on Sarah's bad knee. 'This will help repair the ligament and essentially give you a brand new knee.'

'That dream, I remember bits and pieces of it now, but I don't remember anything that hasn't happened yet.' Sarah said in answer to his earlier question. 'But something still doesn't feel right. I can't believe I actually killed someone.'

The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed and took one of Sarah's hands in his. 'You did what you had to do, Sarah. Likaria would've killed Susan if you hadn't fired off your shot. Despite the fact that Likaria thought of you as one of her heroes, look at how she treated you while you were jailed. I don't know if it means anything, but I for one, don't blame you for what happened.'

'We're so quick to use weapons to fight our battles. I think, Doctor, I'd prefer to never see another gun again. Unfortunately, I know that's not the kind of world I live in.'

'Doing battle doesn't always require weaponry, other than the power of the mind. You know how to do that better than anyone else that's travelled with me. I trust you, Sarah Jane, trust you to do the right thing. There was no way you could've stopped Likaria and saved Susan without violence. That was Likaria's way of life. The battles we initiated during our time here were strategic only. The weapons came later, after we left. We didn't do that, but things took a course, and you ended it the only way possible.'

Sarah ran her free hand across her face. 'I'm just glad it's over.'

The Doctor smiled. 'Me too.' He stood up and got a large bandage. 'Now, I'm going to put this over this side of your face so it can heal the damaged skin.' He laid the medicinal cloth along the side of her face. 'You have some time to sleep, Sarah. Why don't you do that. I'll have the TARDIS float in the vortex for a few hours before we go back to pick up Susan and Harry. They'll be glad to see you.' He headed towards the door.

'And I'll be glad to see them too. I'm rather looking forward to some peace and quiet after this. I never signed up to be a soldier.'

He stopped at the doorway and turned around to smile back at her. 'Yet here you are, defending another planet.'

~!~!~!~

Susan sat on a rock and stared straight ahead. Harry came up behind her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. Susan glanced up at him before returning her gaze straight ahead.

'You must be preoccupied, Sue. You didn't jump,' Harry said quietly.

'Things looked so different this morning than they do now.'

Harry came around and knelt in front of Susan. He pulled a clean bandage out of his pocket and reached up and pushed hair away from Susan's forehead. 'Let me clean this up for you.'

Susan let Harry work, but remained silent. After a moment, she finally sighed. 'Dad, have you ever loved someone so much that you'd be willing to give up everything for that person?'

'Yes,' he answered instantly. 'I loved Elizabeth that much. I would've traded my very life if I could've taken the cancer from her.'

'But that's not possible, there's no cure for cancer yet. What if it were something that was possible?'

'I know what you're thinking, Susan. You want to stay here with Mirsaj.'

Susan locked eyes with him. 'He asked me to stay. It's not like this is across the country, or even across the world from home. This is across the universe. If I stay, I don't get to see you and Sarah again, do I?'

'It would seem unlikely.'

'I've changed so much in the two years I've been here. I know that I love Mirsaj, he's been there for me through so much, but now you, Sarah and I can actually be a family. I mean I know we've always been a bit of a dysfunctional family, but now we can be honest. I know who I am now. I want to get to know Sarah as my mother. I want to go back to having a mobile phone and a computer. Things that will never happen in my lifetime if I stay here. Mirsaj will well outlive me, I mean he's already over 100. I'm just 18.'

Harry took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. 'It sounds like you've already made your decision, Susan.'

'I guess I have. Now here's the difficult part. Telling Mirsaj.'

'I don't envy you that conversation, Sue. I leave it up to you, but you could either tell him now or you could wait until the Doctor and Sarah arrive. I know the Doctor, and it could be a couple of days, or it could be a couple of months.'

Susan frowned. 'Well, I don't know. Somehow it might be better to get everything out in the open now. I've lived under false assumptions and outright lies. It might be harder to do it now, but ultimately it might be more kind.'

Harry used the rock to push himself up. 'I am sorry for all of this, Susan. I should've told you as soon as you were old enough to understand.'

As he started to walk away, Susan jumped up. 'Dad, wait.' As he turned to face her, she went up and gave him a hug. 'It's ok. I'm not going to hold a grudge or place blame. I love you.'

'I love you too, Susan.'

~!~!~!~

Lacond sat in a chair in her tent and held her head in her hands. Taketo entered quietly and simply watched Lacond. Without looking up, Lacond spoke. 'Did you know that Likaria was in charge of the Quadrant?'

'No, I didn't. I thought as you did, that she was killed very early on.'

'Did we do the right thing?'

Taketo sat in the chair opposite Lacond. 'When the king died, your father wanted to make sure that Trivid went on as the king has ruled. He was fair and treated the people with dignity and respect, but people had to work. Likaria felt that the government could do more to provide for the people. As things progressed even while your father was alive, the Quadrant quickly grew hungry for even more and more control, until things degraded to the way it was when you took over.'

Lacond finally looked up at Taketo. 'Even their Chosen people lived in fear of four people and a computer bank. When they didn't behave according to plan, they were threatened and their free will taken away. The MechGuards were nothing but puppets.'

'And with Likaria's death, they are liberated. Now, the question becomes how does the new government need to be structured.'

'In a better society, the people should choose their own leader, but the Chosen never pushed Likaria out of power, so there's nothing that would make me think that they could pick someone that won't drive us right back into the same problem.'

Taketo sighed. 'You control the mines now. The Cyryllium still powers what technology remains. You could lead us back to where we should be, then you could offer the people the right to choose future leadership.'

'What about Mirsaj? We lied to him about who he was.'

'To protect him, Lacond. Would you have wanted him killed? He was all that you had left.'

'Other than you.'

'I'm old, Lacond. I may only have another hundred years or so to live. Mirsaj will outlive you for centuries. He is your family and you did what you knew to do to protect him.'

Lacond gave a small laugh. 'Isn't it ironic, Taketo, Susan came here for the very thing that we did to Mirsaj.'

'Susan came to terms with her heritage. I am sure that Mirsaj will as well.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor walked through the hallways of the TARDIS, sticking his head in various doors, looking for Sarah after not finding her still resting in the sickbay. Finally, he heard the soulfully haunting notes of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" coming from the library. Sarah lay curled up on her side on an oversized sofa, head resting on the arm of the sofa, eyes closed, a light blanket covering her and a small pillow clutched to her.

His mind was instantly taken back to all the times they'd spent in here, sometimes sitting in silence listening to music, other times he would read various alien literary works to her in the original languages. He smiled, thinking of the times she'd fallen asleep while he was reading and he would always cover her with a light blanket and leave to let her sleep in peace.

He pulled up a chair and watched her sleep. Since their first experience on Trivid, he'd relished the quiet times they'd had together when he'd just been able to watch her.

Without opening her eyes, Sarah smiled. 'Your eyes speak louder than words ever do.' She opened her eyes and looked at him.

'Are you sure that's it?' he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

'All right, no, that's not all of it. You think very loudly too.'

He laughed, 'Now that might be the case. Especially where you're concerned, Sarah.'

Sarah sat up at that. 'Doctor, you're still my best friend, and for that I am forever grateful. Once you take us back home, us being Harry, Susan and I, will I ever see you again?'

The Doctor stood up from his chair and sat next to Sarah on the sofa and took her hand in his. 'I don't imagine that you'll be tripping over me, but I doubt this is the last time. You could always come back travelling with me, now that the whole reason for my staying away has been resolved.'

'Well,' she started. 'I…'

He reached up and touched a finger to her lips. 'Don't answer now, my Sarah.'

Sarah only nodded.


	22. Chapter 22

Susan and Mirsaj walked along in silence through the Kithra valley. 'It's so peaceful here now,' Susan commented.

Mirsaj took Susan's hand in his. 'This is what Kithra used to be known for. It was one of Trivid's best known holiday destinations.'

'Yes, but I've never seen it like that. Now, maybe finally I can. There's more to the universe than the war I've seen here. There has to be.'

'I'm sure there is injustice and war on every planet, Susan.'

'Of course there is. There certainly is on Earth, but for once I'd love to see a piece of the universe that wasn't trying to tear itself apart.'

'If you decide to stay with me, Susan, you may find that Trivid becomes the peaceful civilisation you want to see.'

Susan stopped walking and turned to face Mirsaj. 'I actually wanted to talk to you about that.' She collected her thoughts for a moment before continuing. 'I've been doing a lot of thinking about what you asked, Mirsaj. As much as I care for you, I can't stay here.'

'Why not?'

'I've just got my family back. I thought my Mum was dead for months, and I was here for two years before the Doctor brought my father from Earth. Now I have a chance for us all to be a family, and I should go back and figure out what that means for me. Where I fit in. Besides, if I stay here, it's not like I can get a cheap flight back home to visit.'

Mirsaj nodded. 'There is also the aging differences.'

'Yes, I would grow old and die before you were even considered to be middle age. Ultimately, as much as we care for each other, it wouldn't be fair to either one of us.'

Mirsaj reached up and caressed Susan's face. 'I do care for you Susan, but I think you may be right. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it may be better if you return home. I love you and will never forget you, Susan Sullivan.'

~!~!~!~

'Were you serious?' Sarah asked as she walked into the console room.

Without looking up, the Doctor responded. 'Serious about what?' Instead of responding in words, Sarah closed her eyes and projected towards him. The Doctor smiled. 'Oh that. Of course, I meant it, Sarah.'

Sarah laughed. 'I'd love to take you up on that offer, Doctor. I'm just not sure now is the best time.'

The Doctor finally turned around to face her. 'We could travel the universe forwards, backwards and sideways, then go back to Trivid before Harry and Susan even miss us.'

Sarah put her hands on her hips in defiance. 'Oh come on, Doctor.'

'Don't you trust me, Sarah?'

'Doctor, I would trust you with my last breath; however, I think under these circumstances, I need to spend time with Susan. At least while she's in the mood to have me. She's an adult now, and I have a lifetime to catch up on.'

'You've been around her since she was a child.'

'Yes, but more like an eccentric aunt than a parent. Harry truly did a fantastic job of raising her alone. She would stay with me when he was away, but that was only a couple of days at a time every few months. I wasn't involved in her day-to-day life. Now, all I can do is be who I am and be there for her as much as she will allow me.'

The Doctor walked over and pulled her into a hug. 'Oh Sarah, of course, you want to be there for her.' He released her and turned back to the console, quickly setting the coordinates. 'Setting course for Trivid.'

Sarah stepped up beside him. 'I might be ready to take you up on that offer at some point. Once Susan is settled.'

He reached out and squeezed her hand. 'And when you do, I'll be waiting.'

~!~!~!~

The TARDIS materialised in the middle of Lacond's camp. Lacond smiled as the Doctor and Sarah exited. 'Welcome back, Doctor, Sarah.'

Harry came out of the med-tent smiling at the sound of the TARDIS materialisation. 'Ah, there you are.' He watched Sarah as she walked. 'Sarah, old girl, you're not limping anymore.'

She smiled. 'The Doctor patched me up before we came back.'

Harry went over and embraced her. 'I'm very glad he did.' He noticed that she was looking around and knew who she was looking for. 'Susan wanted to talk to Mirsaj before you and the Doctor returned.'

'She wants to stay here, doesn't she?'

'Actually, no. She realises the differences between them would never work out long term. He ages at a completely different rate than we do, so he'll look middle aged when she's old and grey. Plus she knows that if she stays, Trivid doesn't exactly have commuter flights back and forth to Earth. I don't think she's willing to give that up quite yet.' Harry looked deeply into Sarah's eyes, conveying more with a look than with his words, but added, 'That's part of the danger of falling in love with an alien.'

Sarah held his hand reassuringly. 'I know, Harry, I know,' she said softly.

The Doctor glared at Harry before walking over to them. 'Harry, I think it's time we collect your daughter and take you back to Earth.' Sarah immediately shot the Doctor a look as well as a thought. He raised his hands up in defence. 'I'm sorry, Sarah.'

She nodded. 'Let's do what we need to do, yes? What else needs to be sorted?'

The Doctor started to reach out for her, then stopped and walked towards Lacond. 'Sort out the few loose ends, yes.'

As the Doctor walked over and spoke to Lacond and Taketo, Harry looked over at Sarah and whispered. 'Sarah, are you and the Doctor communicating telepathically?'

She continued to watch the Doctor for a moment before turning back to Harry. 'We have for years. Not fully, mind you, more ideas than words.'

Harry took both her hands in his. 'Sarah, just please tell me you're not thinking about flying off with him again once all this is wrapped up. I only ask because I care for you, Sarah, I always have and I always will. We're just getting our family back together again, and I know you've got feelings for the Doctor, he's always been the standard you set anyone else against. I just don't want to see you hurt again.'

'Harry, this isn't eighteen years ago. A lot has changed between the Doctor and I since then. I've changed a lot in that time too. I have responsibilities now that I didn't have before.'

~!~!~!~

The Doctor stood with Taketo and Lacond. 'Well, the war is over, Lacond. How do you feel?'

'This begins a new life for us, Doctor. We can finally head Trivid back in the direction it was going before the King died all those years ago.' Lacond smiled. 'It will take some time to get used to, and there are so many things we need to heal, but things will get better.'

Taketo added, 'The Cyryllium mines have been opened back up, and the Chosen have started repopulating the city centres. Even the MechGuards have been working towards cleaning up some of the more run down areas, using their cybernetic limbs to assist in the heavy duty work.'

Mirsaj and Susan walked into the camp. Susan went over to Harry and Sarah, but Mirsaj approached Lacond and the Doctor. 'Lacond, I wanted to let you know that I understand why you did what you did regarding my identity.'

'I only did it to keep you safe, Mirsaj.'

'I understand. Now I would like to get to know you as my sister, rather than just my general. I would also like to know about our parents, including Likaria.'

Lacond reached out and hugged Mirsaj. 'I will tell you all I know, Mirsaj.'

The Doctor started to walk away, but Taketo followed him. 'Doctor, I have one question for you.' The Doctor turned to face her without saying anything, so she continued, 'Last time you and Sarah were here; you knew that things were going to get bad. Do you think we will have any more troubles?'

The Doctor turned back to her and smiled. 'Not that I can tell. Of course, even I don't know it all, Taketo.'

~!~!~!~

Susan walked up and embraced Sarah. 'Sarah, you look so much better.'

'The Doctor patched me up a bit before we came back.'

Susan pulled back, but had tears in her eyes that just threatened to fall. 'I just want to say thank you.'

Sarah gave her a questioning look. 'Whatever for?'

'For saving me from Likaria. I would've been toast if it weren't for you. She was crazy enough she would've pulled that trigger.'

Sarah reached out and pulled her back into another hug. 'Oh Susan. I would do anything for you, I hope you know that.'

Susan buried her head in Sarah's shoulder as Sarah held her tightly. 'I know, Mum, I know.'

~!~!~!~


	23. Chapter 23

The Doctor ushered Harry, Sarah and Susan into the TARDIS. Without a word, he began punching coordinates into the console. Once the time rotor began it's rhythmic rise and fall, the Doctor finally looked up. 'I've not set the coordinates for Earth just yet.'

Harry stepped up. 'I say, Doctor, don't you think we should get back to Earth? It's been a very long time for Susan and Sarah. And I must admit, I'm a bit knackered myself, this has been a very stressful situation for everyone.'

'It has been rough, Doctor. Harry is right.' Sarah added.

The Doctor looked hurt. 'I set us to float for a while in the vortex. The first thing I need to do is attend to Susan. We need to make sure the high levels of radiation that were on Trivid when she and Sarah first arrived didn't affect her. I checked Sarah out earlier, but Susan still needs to be checked.'

'Radiation, what?' Susan asked, concern crossing her features.

'Oh, that's right Doctor, when we first were on our way, you thought the radiation levels might be high.' Harry pulled the tin of radiation pills out of his pocket that the Doctor had given him when they first headed to Trivid.

'The levels had dropped considerably by the time we arrived, Harry. Mostly due to the drop in the level of technology being used during the later battles.' The Doctor reached out a hand to Susan. 'Let's go to the sickbay and I'll get you all checked out.' He looked at both Sarah and Harry. 'You two can either stay here, go with us, or find a place to just relax. This shouldn't take too long.'

Harry nodded. 'Actually, I think I might like to find a proper shower and get cleaned up.'

Sarah looked from Susan to Harry and back. 'Harry, I'll show you where the closest shower room is, then catch up with the Doctor and Susan in the sickbay. You all right with that, Susan?'

'Sure, I have a few questions I want to ask the Doctor anyway.'

The Doctor smiled and led Susan out of the console room. 'Right this way.'

Susan looked all around as she and Doctor walked in silence toward the sickbay. Finally, she spoke. 'Doctor, so this machine, the TARDIS was it? This TARDIS will take you through time and space?'

The Doctor smiled, 'Yes, she can. Anyplace and anytime.'

They walked into the sickbay. Susan hopped up on the table. 'So, Doctor, what do you need to do?'

He motioned for her to lie down. 'I just need to do a few scans. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes. We just need to make sure that the radiation you were exposed to when you first arrived didn't cause any strange abnormalities that could cause you any problems in the future.' He placed a light blanket over her as she lay down. 'The trouble with exposure to radiation, is that different species absorb it different ways.'

'Yeah, but I'm human.'

The Doctor looked over his equipment and frowned slightly. 'Yes, you're human all right.' He stared at the readings another minute before continuing. 'Susan, have you noticed any headaches while you've been here on Trivid?'

'No, why?'

'I'm reading some spikes that show some increased sensitivity to certain sounds and smells.'

Susan propped herself up on her elbows. 'Meaning?'

The Doctor went around to various controls looking at readings. He glanced at her. 'Lie still.'

'Doctor, is something wrong?'

'Quit talking and lie still, Susan. I have to be exact with this.' Susan frowned, but lay back down on the table and simply watched as the Doctor continued making adjustments and analysing readings, going back and forth between the various monitors. After a minute, the Doctor walked up to her. 'Susan, those sensitivities may not cause you any problems down the line, or they could cause massive headaches as your system has trouble managing the enhanced metabolic functions. I can do what I can to try to prevent the headaches as much as possible, if you like, but it will require certain scans to run that take over an hour.'

'Do I have to lie perfectly still?'

'You can sleep.'

'But I'm not sleepy.'

The Doctor reached up and touched her temple. 'Yes, you are, Susan.'

'Oh, wow, I am getting a bit sleepy.' Susan's eyes closed. 'One question first, Doctor?'

'Of course,' he replied softly.

She looked up at him. 'Would you show me the universe? The same way you did my parents?'

The Doctor lightly tapped Susan on the nose and smiled. 'I'll make you an offer, go back to Earth with Harry and Sarah for now, but I'll come back for you one day and show you the universe.'

'There's something else you know that has to happen, isn't there, Doctor?'

'Ultimately, no matter what our feelings or what we would like to do, there are rules that will always have to be followed, Susan.'

'I still want to see the universe, before I'm too old to enjoy it.'

The Doctor smiled. 'I give you my word.' He watched as Susan smiled and finally fell asleep.

Sarah stood in the doorway and watched as the Doctor worked with various pieces of equipment. 'What's wrong?' she asked finally, walking over to stand by the exam table, looking down at Susan. 'How'd you get her to sleep?' Going back and forth between different monitors, the Doctor didn't acknowledge her. Finally, she walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. 'Doctor?'

He reached around and pulled her to stand in front of one particular monitor. He stood behind her and put one hand on her shoulder, while pointing to something with his other hand. 'Look at this level here,' he whispered in her ear.

'What does it mean?' she whispered back, her eyes glued to the screen.

'I have no idea where it came from. Susan appears to have a certain level of hypersensitivity to certain sounds and smells. I can't eliminate it, so I'm trying to at least make it so that she doesn't suffer any ill effects. If not treated, she could suffer severe headaches or dizziness every time something sets it off.' To prove he heard her earlier comment, he added, 'As for how she fell asleep so quickly, let's just say I suggested it to her.' The Doctor looked over at Sarah and smiled. 'She has a certain level of suggestibility, rather like her mother.'

Sarah glared at him. 'That's not fair.' He never broke eye contact with her, and she eventually gave him a small smile in return. 'All right, it may be true, but it's still not fair.'

The Doctor reached out and ran a hand along Sarah's face. 'It is one of your many endearing qualities, my Sarah.'

Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed slightly. 'This version of you is good for flattery, I'll give you that much.' She turned back to Susan. 'What is this going to mean for Susan?'

'The hypersensitivity isn't an issue, it might be unusual for her at the beginning, but there's no harm in it. I'm more concerned about the headaches she may have. They could occur at the most inopportune times.'

'Can you guarantee that she won't have those headaches?'

He frowned. 'Unfortunately, nothing can completely guarantee it. I just want to make sure her brain is balancing the information. Part of the scans I'm doing involve stimulating those areas that are known to spike and see if we get any response in her pain receptors.'

Sarah sighed. 'Why does she have these issues and I didn't? I was exposed to just as much radiation as she was.'

The Doctor walked to another monitor across the room. 'Here are your scans, Sarah. You have a certain level of your own hypersensitivity, but your responses aren't painful.' Sarah walked over to look at her own scans in comparison with what the Doctor said were Susan's scans. Before she asked, the Doctor added, 'It may be some of the radiation you were exposed to during our travels, or just the variances between Susan's genetic structure and yours.'

'Harry said that after his shower he might need a bit of a kip, but he needs to know about this. Is it something we're going to have to keep an eye on once we get back to Earth?'

'Possibly. Let Harry sleep for now, this is going to take about an hour. In fact, there's nothing we can do while these scans are running.' He extended an arm to her. 'Would you take a walk with me, Sarah Jane?'

She looked at Susan's sleeping figure, then nodded and looped an arm through the Doctor's.

~!~!~!~

The Doctor opened a door and motioned for Sarah to go inside. As she walked in, the lights in the room illuminated instantly. She looked around as a slow grin spread across her features. The Doctor watched her intently, a smile playing across his features as she smiled. 'I think the TARDIS remembered what my old room looked like.'

'This is your room, Sarah. I haven't changed a thing.'

Sarah walked over and sat on the bed, then looked up at the Doctor. 'Well, did we do all we needed to? You talked about preserving the timelines, your past and all that.'

'I still have to do one thing. I need to apologize to you.'

Sarah shook her head. 'What for?'

He walked over and sat down beside her and took both her hands in his. 'For everything. For abandoning you, for not getting you home properly. For letting you get so wrapped up in this and for you getting hurt. You have to know that I never wanted any of this for you.'

'You always did the best you could to keep your friends out of trouble.'

'But ultimately, it was my best friend that I hurt the most.'

'Doctor, I may not understand everything that goes through that Time Lord brain of yours, but I know this – you would not have done anything to hurt me if it absolutely didn't have to be done.'

'Sarah, there is one more thing. About Susan.' He wasn't sure how to continue, so instead he sent a thought her way and frowned.

Sarah tentatively reached out and touched the Doctor's face, a smile brightening her face. 'There was never a doubt in my mind about it, Doctor.'

~!~!~!~!~


	24. Chapter 24

Harry looked over the equipment in sickbay and then watched Susan's sleeping form. After a minute, the Doctor walked in. 'Ah, Harry, did you enjoy your nap?'

'It was very refreshing, thank you Doctor. Where is Sarah and what's going on here?'

'I left Sarah asleep in her room. She needed to rest. As for here, I'm just wrapping up a series of scans on Susan.' The Doctor walked over and made a few adjustments on the monitors and then walked over to Susan and touched her gently on the temple. 'You can wake up now, Susan.'

Susan opened her eyes and looked around. She propped herself up on her elbows and noticed Harry for the first time. 'Oh hi Dad. So, Doctor, did the scans do what you expected about the hypersensitivities?'

Harry looked over at the Doctor. 'Hypersensitivities? Doctor, what's going on?'

The Doctor turned one of the monitors so both Susan and Harry could see it. 'For whatever reason, Susan seems to have developed some proclivity towards certain sounds and smells. My concern was more about any accompanying debilitating headaches or dizziness.'

'Were you able to rule out those headaches?' Susan asked.

The Doctor looked at the monitors again and smiled. 'It appears so.'

'Are you certain?' Harry asked.

'Nothing in life is certain Harry, you should know that. I've done everything I could. The best thing you can do at this point is just be aware.' He turned to Susan. 'If you notice that you smell things others can't, or you hear things others can't; make sure you don't immediately have a severe headache.'

'What happens if I do?'

'The fastest solution is to imbibe some sort of alcohol. It will force your system to begin to metabolise something other than the chemicals your body is producing. But again, you shouldn't have any problems.'

Sarah walked into the room while combing her fingers through her hair as Susan sat up and hopped off the exam table. 'Did it work, Doctor?' Sarah asked.

'It appears so, but will always be worth monitoring.' He looked around to the three of them. 'I can go ahead and set the coordinates for Earth, or I know you've had a difficult time, so I'd like to propose taking you all on vacation. I was actually headed towards a vacation destination when all this started.'

Sarah, Harry and Susan all exchanged glances. Sarah couldn't miss Susan's hopeful expression, or Harry's dubious one. Sarah seemed non-committal as she turned to the Doctor. 'Where did you have in mind?'

'Mesedri Prime.'

'What's it like?' Sarah asked.

'They have blue breezes to blow away sorrows and pink oceans to wash away cares. We could take day trips to the outer planets and meet some of the most colourful life in the universe. They have a very eager staff to cater to our every whim.' The Doctor paraphrased the earlier advertisement he'd heard.

Harry frowned. 'I don't know, Doctor. This all seems like a dream and I think we need to just go home and try to settle back into our real lives.'

Even Susan shrugged. 'I want to see more of the universe, Doctor, but you make it sound like you're just quoting some travel guide advert. Have you ever actually been there?'

The Doctor stood up straight, but looked slightly hurt before admitting, 'No, that's why I was going.'

Sarah bit her lower lip, looked at Harry and Susan and then over at the Doctor. 'Doctor, let us discuss this if you don't mind.'

'Of course, Sarah.' He left quickly, but turned his head back to Sarah and smiled as she sent a thought to him.

Once the Doctor was gone, Harry turned to Sarah. 'Sarah, I think we should just go home. I know you're always willing to follow the Doctor any place he goes, but you've been through a lot, more than Susan and I. As a medical doctor and as your friend, I really think we ought to go home and get you a complete physical, and then we can go spend a couple of weeks relaxing in the islands if you want a holiday. We can't take a chance that the TARDIS will land somewhere other than where the Doctor wants, even though he has the best of intentions.'

Susan listened to her father and thought about it for only a second, remembering the conversation she had with the Doctor previously. 'Mum, I think Dad's right. As much as I want to go and see more with the Doctor, I think he makes a good point. It might be nice to just relax someplace familiar, at least for now.'

Sarah nodded, 'You're both probably right. While I definitely could use a holiday, I'm quite tired of looking at two suns and think something a little closer to home would be nice. After all, life on Earth can be an adventure too.' Susan and Harry both smiled at her, so she added, 'I'll let the Doctor know. He can get a bit childish if he's disappointed, so it might be better coming from me.' Sarah headed out of the sickbay, then turned back to Susan and Harry. 'You two wait here for about five minutes, then meet me in the console room.'

Sarah walked out and shut the door of the sickbay behind her. As she walked towards the console room, she couldn't help but reach out and let her hand run across the walls as she walked. 'It would be so easy to stay here. How do I explain to him?' she said softly. Steeling herself, she walked into the console room and watched as the Doctor was quickly going around the console, changing settings and adjusting dials.

'I've set the coordinates for Earth, Sarah,' the Doctor said quietly.

Sarah walked over to him and put a hand on his arm. 'Is isn't because I wouldn't like to go somewhere else, but in this case, I need to be with Sue.'

'And Harry.'

'Doctor, please. I need to be someplace familiar. You and I both know that even if we went somewhere, you'd still have to take us home. And if I stayed with you after that, eventually, I'd wind up back on Earth.'

The Doctor turned and looked at Sarah and she could see the disappointment in his eyes. It matched the disappointment in hers. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her, touching his forehead to hers. 'We'll always be connected, Sarah, no matter where in the universe we are.'

They stepped apart as Harry and Susan entered. No one said anything until the TARDIS landed. Sarah reached over on the console and turned on the outside scanner. They all recognized Sarah's back garden.

'What's the date, Doctor?' Sarah asked.

He looked down at the readout. '3 December, 1992.'

'The day after we left?' Susan asked. 'But Sarah and I are two years older, so shouldn't we have come back in 94?'

Sarah shook her head, 'It's difficult, Sue, but part of the dangers of time travel. We can't have been gone for two years, because people would have noticed between my job and your schooling. Harry hasn't been gone for two years, so he's not losing any time.'

'How is that going to work? I mean, I've taken my GCSEs, but now I'm old enough for university but haven't had the extra schooling or taken my A levels?' Susan asked.

'As a member of UNIT, I'll be able to make some arrangements for you to take "early" exams so if you want to go straight to university, you can. We have time to work out all the details.' Harry supplied.

Susan stood at the doorway and looked out into the garden. 'It looks so quiet, comparatively speaking.' She started out the door and turned and looked back at the Doctor. 'Are you coming inside?'

The Doctor shook his head, 'I don't think so, Susan.'

Susan ran back and quickly threw her arms around him. 'Thank you, Doctor. For getting us home, and for saving Mum.' She then whispered to him, 'Don't forget your promise.' He only smiled at her in return, watching as she took a tentative step outside.

Harry walked up to the Doctor, 'Yes, thank you Doctor, for bringing my daughter back to me.' As the Doctor nodded, Harry turned and followed Susan out the door.

'I never thought we'd be here again after all these years.' Sarah admitted. 'I owe you for so much. For getting me out of that jail, for making sure I was reconnected with my daughter.' She tapped her temple lightly, 'For staying in here.'

The Doctor walked over and embraced Sarah, 'Until the next time, Sarah Jane.'

'I look forward to it, Doctor.'

And with that, Sarah walked out the door and heard it close behind her. She headed straight for her back door as she heard the wheezing, groaning noise slowly fade away. She turned around slowly and looked at where the TARDIS had been parked mere moments before. Taking a deep breath, she walked in her door and into the next stage of her life.


	25. Epilogue, part 1

_A/N - There's still a little more of Sarah, Harry and Susan's story left to tell...this is where this picks up. :-)_

EPILOGUE

MANY YEARS LATER

On Trivid, a much older Lacond sat down at a small table, in the otherwise empty room. She looked at the old gray haired man sitting across from her. 'So what do you think, Doctor?'

'I think it has interesting possibilities, my dear.'

'Susan can get the best education back on Gallifrey. I'd rather her learn everything the Time Lords can teach her. I've already taught her what she needs to know here. Do you think we can get her into the Academy?'

'It's possible, with her father's agreement. What if I decide to leave Gallifrey at some point? I won't stay there forever, you know.'

'Doctor, you're like a father to me and you've done more than your fair share for this planet over the years. If you travel the stars, then my daughter should travel the stars. It would be an amazing experience for her. And good for you to have someone with you. You're not as young as you used to be. Besides, no one need ever know that she's not genetically your granddaughter.'

'She is part Gallifreyan. The way the loom works, that makes her my granddaughter in almost every sense of the world. And as for my age…' The Doctor made a shushing noise. 'I do very well, and I'm not that old, all things considered. Now, quit talking about all I've done, since I've not done them yet.'

Lacond stood up, walked to the door and called for Susan. A elfin looking young girl with short, dark hair came bounding into the room. 'Susan, you're going to be going with the Doctor. He's going to make sure you get more advanced training from the Time Lords.'

Susan smiled broadly, 'You mean I get to go to Gallifrey with Grandfather?'

'Yes you do.'

Susan ran over and hugged the Doctor. 'When do we leave, Grandfather?'

'Go and pack, then we'll leave.' After Susan ran out of the room, the Doctor turned back to Lacond. 'I do have one question, Lacond.'

'Anything.'

'How did you come up with such a terrestrial name like Susan?'

Lacond smiled. 'You just told me not to tell you about what you'd done and the time laws dictate that I can't tell you the specifics, but remember the name Sarah Jane Smith, you will need to. About Susan, all I can say is I met a young Earth girl named Susan during our Civil War. She and her family were some of the bravest people I ever met. I only felt it right to honor her by naming my daughter after her.'

~!~!~!~

In Ealing, the young soldier in uniform walked into the house unannounced and pulled off her beret and overcoat, hanging them on the coat hook near the door. 'Mum?' she called out. A whirring noise drew Susan's attention and she watched as K9 rolled into the room, tail wagging. 'K9! How did you get repaired?' She noticed there was no rust on the machine as she knelt down beside him and put a hand on his head. 'Wait a minute, you're not the same K9 are you?'

'Negative, mistress Susan. I am K9, Mark IV.'

'You look exactly the same! Impressive.' She scratched K9 between his "ears" and stood up. 'Where's Sarah?'

'In here, Sue!' came the voice from the kitchen. Sarah walked in the room and wrapped Susan in a warm, enveloping hug. 'Happy birthday, Lieutenant Sullivan.'

Susan grinned and pointed to her shoulder. 'It's actually Captain now, I just got a promotion!'

'Congratulations Sue, you absolutely deserve it.'

'Thanks, Mum. And with it I got an increase in my security clearance, but I still couldn't find out anything about Dad.'

Sarah frowned. 'I'm sure he's ok.'

'It's been several months.'

'Your father knows how to take care of himself.'

'I know, but I just don't like the term "missing". It's too close to "killed in action" for me.' Susan sighed, 'All right, change of subject, I don't want to be sad on my birthday.' She looked down at K9. 'So, what's up with the new K9?' Sarah only smiled and looked down at K9, remembering her recent encounter. Susan gasped, 'The Doctor was at that school, wasn't he?'

Sarah looked back at Susan as they both crossed to sit down on the sofa. 'How do you know about Deffry Vale? I didn't tell you about that!'

Susan grinned. 'I am with UNIT, remember? I get paid to know things like that. Actually, I took a group out to the school to clean up after the explosion. I wanted to make sure we took care of everything before Torchwood decided to show up. We found the remains of some odd creatures.'

'Krillitanes.'

'Ah, ok. I'll make sure that gets put in the report.' Susan paused briefly, then asked, 'So, how was that for you?'

'It was nice to actually say some things to the Doctor. Get some stuff out in the open.'

'Was it the same Doctor as I met? I'm curious as to whether he's been back to Trivid. I also want to know if he said anything to you about what happened?'

Sarah smiling knowingly. 'About Mirsaj?'

'That was a very long time ago!' Susan defensively replied, before quickly softening. 'All right, perhaps, the thought briefly crossed my mind.' Susan smiled back.

'This Doctor was different. Very young looking. He knew who I was, but he said it had been several regenerations since we last met. I wasn't sure if the whole Trivid experience had even happened for him yet or not. I tried to be very careful about what I said, just in case.'

Susan sighed. 'The dangers of time travel.'

It was Sarah's turn to change the subject. 'So, birthday girl, where would you like to go for dinner?'

'I know we said something about going and eating out somewhere like Jardine's, but would you mind if we just picked up a quick take-away, maybe a video and then just come back here for some peace and quiet? It's been a long day.'

'I completely understand.' Sarah patted Susan on the knee as she stood up. 'Anything you want, Sue, after all, you only turn 30 once. Let me go get my jacket from upstairs.' Sarah headed towards the stairs when the doorbell rang.

Susan stood up and headed for the door, 'I'll get it.'

Sarah stopped and smiled. 'Good, it should be a surprise for you. I was hoping it could've gotten here earlier, but better late than never.'

Susan opened the door and saw Harry standing there, smiling. Susan beamed and quickly grabbed him in a tight hug. 'Dad! They said you were missing! No one knew where you were – even Uncle Alistair said he couldn't give me any more information. Are you OK, are you home for good, or is this just temporary?'

Harry pulled away from Susan, walked in the door and closed it behind him. 'I can't go into details right now, I've been doing "medical research"', he said, putting his fingers up to mimic quotes around the last two words. 'It's all hush hush, you know. I just knew I wanted to get here for your birthday.'

Susan sighed. 'I have two parents who are bound and determined to get themselves killed at an early age.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about, do you Sarah?' Harry asked as he walked over and gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

Sarah smiled, 'Nope, not at all.'

Harry kept an arm around Sarah and continued, 'The first thing I did was ring Sarah to see what your plans were and if I could join. After all, what sort of dad would I be if I missed your birthday?'

Susan looked at both her parents and smiled. 'Thank you both. This is a great way to spend a birthday! We haven't been together like this since we were in Tenerife after the whole Trivid thing.'

'And you're both staying tonight. No argument, I've already made up the beds in both rooms for you.' Sarah's look enforced the lack of argument.

Susan and Harry exchanged glances and smiles before they both saluted and replied in unison, 'Yes, Ma'am!'

~!~!~!~

Sarah and Harry sat at the kitchen table, each quietly contemplating the mug of tea in their hand. 'Thanks for letting me stay last night, Sarah.'

'You have to leave again, don't you?' Sarah asked softly.

'I was only able to get the two days away. Sarah, I don't know when I'll be back, or if I'll be back. This mission isn't like the others.'

Sarah looked over at him, tears just at the edges of her eyes. 'It's not fair, Harry. When you went over to MI5, I thought these crazy assignments would be over.'

Harry shrugged. 'Me too, Sarah, but now that Susan has her own life and career, I can't turn down these opportunities.'

'Even if they get you killed?'

Harry reached out and took Sarah's hand in his. 'We each face death every day. You know what life with UNIT is like, and that's the life that Susan signed on for. You're constantly defending the Earth with that supercomputer of yours and the robot dog, and you can't tell me that there aren't times where it runs through your mind that each experience might be the last. We've lived on the edge for too many years. Anything else and we'd be bored.'

'You're right, of course, Harry. Susan pegged it last night. We never were your normal nine-to-fivers, that's for sure. There's a part of me that wishes that Susan would've chosen a more traditional path.'

Harry laughed, 'Like that could've ever happened. She's our daughter, Sarah. Traditional has never been in our vocabulary.'

Susan walked in, still wearing her striped jim-jams. Absently, she walked over and kissed both Sarah and Harry on the temples and went straight for the kettle. Sarah looked over at Harry and smiled. 'Morning, Sue.'

'Good morning, Susan,' Harry added.

'Morning Mum, Dad,' she mumbled.

Harry shook his head, 'Nope, still definitely not a morning person.'

Once Susan had her tea, she joined her parents at the table. After sipping at it for a moment, she finally spoke in something other than a mumble. 'Thank goodness for Saturdays. It's my one day to pretend I'm still a teenager and sleep in until noon.'

'Except it's only 9am.' Sarah noted.

'Well, that's close enough to noon when I'm normally up around 5am.' She took another sip of tea and looked from both Sarah to Harry and watched their expressions. 'Oh, I know what you've been talking about this morning.' Before either Sarah or Harry could comment, Susan continued. 'Let me guess. Dad, you have to go back out, you have no idea when or if we'll see you again. Mum, you question why he does it, yet you do the same thing by fighting aliens with K9 and Mr. Smith, and you both agree that anything less than what we do is for regular people, not us, cause we're special, or weird, or something along those lines.'

'That's fairly accurate,' Harry admitted.

Susan smiled. 'And we love every minute of it and wouldn't have it any other way.'

~!~!~!~


	26. Epilogue, Part 2

_A/N - This is set after "School Reunion", but before SJA's "Invasion of the Bane". :-)_

EPILOGUE TWO

Susan checked her dress uniform in the mirror and smiled. She normally hated these rather formal functions, but understood their necessity. In this particular case, she was glad to be a part of it. They were going to be celebrating Sir Alistair's 70th birthday. "Uncle Alistair" as she had grown up calling him, didn't want all the fuss, but it was another good opportunity for several of the Doctor's former companions to get together.

Her smile quickly faded as she thought of the people who wouldn't be there. For one, the Doctor himself had never shown up. For another, no one knew where her father was. Research for NATO was the last thing they'd heard after he'd left just after her birthday a couple of years previously. Just at that moment, her doorbell rang. Running downstairs, she gave a quick glance through the peephole before swinging the door open, smiling as she saw Sarah on the other side.

'Hey Sue, are you just about ready?' Sarah asked with a smile.

'Hey Mum, I'm ready. I heard there were going to be some new faces this time.'

'Yes, I know of at least one. A young woman about your age, Martha Jones, I believe her name is.'

Susan nodded. 'Oh I met Martha a few days ago. She just finished her exams and has been brought on as one of the MO's.' Susan didn't miss the look that briefly crossed Sarah's face.

'Well, better UNIT snagging her than Torchwood.'

'She mentioned something about Torchwood three in Cardiff, but she chose UNIT instead, wanting to stay closer to her family. I can certainly understand that.' Susan smiled and reached out and pulled Sarah in for a hug. 'Right, Mum?'

Sarah smiled. 'Right.'

~!~!~!~

'Something's not quite right.' Sir Alistair frowned as he looked across the room.

'What do you mean?' Sarah asked.

'I can't put my finger on it.' Sir Alistair admitted. 'It's just one of those instincts an old soldier never loses.'

Sarah watched as a handsome man in an American military uniform walked in the door making a beeline for the young Doctor Jones and began talking animatedly to her. 'Who is that man that talking with Martha?'

Sir Alistair frowned. 'That would explain it. That is Jack Harkness. Goes by the rank of Captain, but there's nothing in the official records that he actually earned that rank.'

Sarah raised an eyebrow. 'He's Torchwood, isn't he? I thought UNIT tried to steer clear of Torchwood whenever possible.'

'Jack is different. Apparently he travelled with the Doctor for a while. Supposedly he's trying to turn the place around. There's something about him that always put my teeth on edge, but I think it's just me.'

'The Doctor didn't mention anything about him the last time I saw him, although, we didn't really get an opportunity to talk too much. What with that whole Krillitane thing going on.'

'There is something else you need to know about Jack, Sarah Jane. Have you ever heard of D347?'

'D347?' Sarah repeated. 'No, I've never heard of it.'

'It's a UNIT directive. It was actually written for you, and then once we found out about Susan, she was amended into it. It was something the Doctor specifically asked for. We knew you were different from the others he travelled with, but it wasn't until he gave us some very specific instructions that we knew how much.'

Sarah tilted her head slightly to the side. 'What on earth are you talking about?'

~!~!~!~

Susan sniffed the air. Jack walked up to her, but said nothing until she tilted her head slightly. 'That's an odd expression for such a beautiful young lady.' Jack said softly as he smiled his most flirtatious smile.

She only glanced at him. 'Don't you smell it?' she asked him. When he only shrugged in response, Susan shouted to the room as she pulled Jack down to the floor. 'Everyone get down!' Just then, the room was peppered in a series of small explosions.

Jack covered Susan as the debris began to rain down. 'What was that?' he whispered in her ear.

'Chemicals, probably originating in the lab. Someone mixed up a toxic cocktail, accidentally by the smell of it.' Susan refused Jack's help in standing up, then dusted off her uniform, and scanned the room as rest of the people were getting up. She noticed a group of the soldiers quickly run from the room to ascertain the source. She quickly spotted both Sarah and Sir Alistair and left Jack to run over to them. Sarah stood up fairly quickly, and then they both helped Sir Alistair up off the floor. 'Are you okay, Uncle?' Susan asked. 'I think it was just an accident in the lab.'

He propped himself up on his cane and began to dust himself down with his free hand. 'No worse for wear, Susan. How did you know?'

Jack came over to join them. 'You are something, aren't you Sullivan?' He gave Susan an appreciative smile. 'I don't suppose you'd like to show me how you do that.'

Sir Alistair cleared his throat. 'Harkness.'

'Happy Birthday, Sir Alistair. You're looking well.'

Just then, one of the UNIT soldiers came up to them and saluted Sir Alistair. 'Sir, we thought you'd like to know it was just an accident in the lab. One of Dr. Taylor's experiments went awry.'

'Thank you, Harding.' The soldier left and Sir Alistair shook his head. 'Malcolm and his experiments. One day he'll stumble across something useful.'

Jack interjected, 'You know, Sir Alistair, Torchwood could take him off UNIT's hands, I'm sure we could find a good project for him.'

'Harkness,' he frowned disapprovingly. Once he was sure Jack was giving him his full attention, he continued. 'Now, what I started to tell you when you walked over here,' he pointed at Susan and Sarah. 'D347.'

Jack looked from Susan to Sarah and back again before throwing his hands up in the air, 'Woah, sorry ladies, time for me to make my exit.' He winked at Susan. 'If you ever want to come out from under that directive, Sullivan, make sure to let me know.'

'Jack.' Sir Alistair cautioned. 'That is a lifelong directive. Captain Sullivan can't eliminate it, even if she wanted to.' As Jack quickly made his retreat, Sir Alistair looked back to Susan. 'Now, tell me how you knew about the explosion.'

'The chemical smell was overwhelming.' Susan felt the room begin to spin, so she leaned against the table.

Sarah looked at Sir Alistair. 'You're going to have to tell me about this D347 at some point.' She put a hand on Susan's arm. 'I see your hypersensitivity still comes in handy.'

Susan reached up and began rubbing her temples. 'Yes, but at a cost.'

Sarah reached up and put an arm around Susan. 'C'mon Sue, have a seat. You never mentioned you were getting those headaches.'

'Must've slipped my mind,' she said absently.

Susan sank down into a chair and held her head in her hands. Sarah quickly ran up to the bar and came back with a bottle of whisky. 'Sue.' Sarah held out the bottle to her.

Susan frowned, but took the bottle anyway. Taking off the cap, she just took a large swig from the bottle. 'I'll get a very high alcohol tolerance if this keeps up.'

'That may be, but the Doctor said it would make the chemicals metabolise more quickly. If you're able, I'm taking you home, right now. I want to get Mr. Smith to scan you. If we get to him quickly, maybe he can find out what's going on, and you're staying at the house tonight, so no argument.'

Sir Alistair put a hand on Susan's shoulder. 'How long has this been going on, Susan?'

She took another swig from the whisky bottle. 'The hypersensitivity stuff, oh, off and on since I was eighteen. The headaches just started in the last six months.' She put the cap on the bottle and stood up slowly. 'Ok, Mum, let's go.'

Sarah took the whisky bottle from Susan and tucked it in her bag. When Sir Alistair gave her an odd look, she shrugged. 'In case she needs it.'

~!~!~!~

Sarah looked over from her desktop computer in her attic towards the sofa where Susan was curled up with her eyes closed. Mr. Smith was open and working. After a few moments, he announced, 'Sarah Jane, I have completed my analysis.'

Susan rubbed her eyes and walked over to stand with Sarah in front of Mr. Smith. 'Well, what's the verdict?'

'Susan, I have a way to reset your system to correct the metabolic imbalance, but it will render you unconscious for approximately two hours, and I would be making changes at the cellular level. Past that, there should be no ill effects, but your senses will return to that of a normal human.'

Susan frowned. 'Isn't there a way to leave the stronger senses, but just get rid of the headaches? I only got the headaches a few months ago, and the Doctor didn't seem to think that I should've had them at all.'

'I'm afraid not, Susan. At least, it is beyond my capabilities to eliminate one without the other.'

'Mr. Smith, before I allow you to do anything to Susan, I want you to be absolutely sure that this is 100% safe and that there will be no long lasting repercussions.' Sarah frowned.

Susan reached and touched Sarah's arm. 'No, Mum, it's ok. Mr. Smith, can you do it from the sofa so I can be lying down?'

'Sarah Jane, there are no risks to Susan, and yes Susan, you can be on the sofa when I begin the process.'

Susan walked back to the sofa and sat down. 'Right, it's settled then. Whenever you're ready, Mr. Smith.'

Sarah nodded. 'Go on, Mr. Smith.'

As Susan lay down, Mr. Smith emitted a beam that enveloped her. She gasped slightly, then lapsed into unconsciousness.

Sarah walked over and knelt next to Susan and stroked her face gently. 'Mr. Smith, please display and monitor of all her vital signs, just in case.'

'Of course, Sarah Jane.' He began to show Susan's vital signs including heart rate, temperature and blood pressure on his main screen. Just then, the familiar wheezing, groaning noise filled the room, but Sarah didn't even look up.

Just as the TARDIS materialised, the Doctor practically flew out the door. Sarah finally glanced up as the Doctor made a beeline for where she was still kneeling by the sofa. He looked up at the display on Mr. Smith, then down at Susan. He squeezed Sarah's shoulder and smiled before addressing the computer. 'Mr. Smith, show me all the scan results.'

The Doctor went over and stood in front of Mr. Smith and watched as the scan results quickly flashed on the screen. Sarah finally took in the Doctor's appearance, tall and lanky, pinstriped suit, trainers and unruly hair. The same Doctor she'd met at Deffry Vale. 'How do you know about Mr. Smith?' she finally asked, knowing she'd never mentioned her supercomputer to him.

He held up a hand to her and made a quick shushing down as he continued to stare at the viewscreen. 'Mr. Smith, access the TARDIS databanks, file 34710111423.737681830608.'

'Accessing.' After a quick moment, he continued. 'Alteration of the cellular structure changed from .0000000001 to .000000000005, with a deferential factor of .00006758. Re-establishing the DNA sequence to handle the…'

As Mr. Smith continued, Sarah quit focusing on the words and the fact that the Doctor was standing in her attic and instead turned back to Susan, reaching up and smoothing the hair away from her face. 'It's going to be all right, Sue.' As she continued to whisper soft assurances to her, she realised Mr. Smith had stopped talking.

The Doctor smiled, 'That's more like it! Good job, Mr. Smith. That should preserve the extra sensitivities.'

Sarah stood up quickly and walked over to him. 'That's what you said before. You said she shouldn't have any problems.'

The Doctor smiled. 'That was almost 200 years ago; I know how to handle it differently now. Besides, we had Mr. Smith to do all the work.'

'Which reminds me, how do you know about Mr. Smith?'

The Doctor threw an arm around Sarah's shoulder and leaned in close, whispering to her. 'I'm crossing my own timeline a bit, highly dangerous of course, but I couldn't come back any other time. You'll tell me about Mr. Smith later, so you can't say anything about this when you see me again. Just pretend this never happened. Susan can't know I was here either. Just tell her that Mr. Smith figured out a way to keep the heightened senses, but eliminate the side effects.'

The Doctor walked over to the sofa and knelt down, then reached out and took Susan's pulse, despite Mr. Smith continuing to display her vital signs. As he carefully put Susan's hand down, Sarah couldn't miss the look that crossed his features as he turned from Susan back towards her. 'What's wrong, Doctor.'

Barely above a whisper, he replied, 'Take care of her, Sarah.'

Sarah looked back at Susan. 'How long before she regains consciousness?'

Mr. Smith answered. 'At most, two hours, possibly as little as one hour, Sarah Jane.'

'I feel like I'm missing a piece of the puzzle.' Sarah admitted.

'Told you, I'm crossing my own timeline. I made a promise to Susan when we were on Trivid and I'm going to keep it.' He noticed the look in Sarah's eyes, and reached out and took both her hands in his. 'I was never good at keeping promises in my younger days. Now I realise how important they are.'

'It's like you said on Trivid, we did what we had to do to maintain your history.'

'Yes, and I'm doing this now, Sarah, to preserve your future. Well, it's your past for me, since I've already seen it and I must say, it is very impressive.'

'Nice to know you're still around.'

The Doctor laughed and wrapped her in a warm embrace. 'You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm like a bad penny, always turning up when you least expect it.'


End file.
